AI and the judicial system in England and Wales

How should Artificial Intelligence be used by Judges? It's a technology that's not going away, and is being adopted by legal systems in other parts of the world.

Chinese courts in the city of Shenzhen are already using AI to help judges navigate cases, as well as suggesting possible sentences for the guilty. Many other countries are more cautious, and maintain that AI should never replace human judicial decisions.

What are acceptable uses of AI in the judicial system, and what areas should be off limits? So far, in England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland, there have been legal pilots for administrative and AI transcription services. In England and Wales, there are also plans for AI legal assistants to help with routine casework and help judges decide which cases are ready to be heard in court.

But how far could AI be integrated across the justice system? There are still chronic court delays across England and Wales, and AI could well speed-up justice and reduce costs. So could AI be used as an aid to justice, or even to make judicial decisions?

And if AI use is expanded, what safeguards should be put in place to protect our rights and the credibility of the legal system? In a rare interview, Sir Geoffrey Vos, the Master of the Rolls and one of the most senior judges in England and Wales, gives the Law Show his view of the justice system's potential future.

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Contributors:
The Right Honourable Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls
Jonathan Hall KC, the goverment's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation