David Lammy pushes expanded use of AI in magistrates to cut jury trials
David Lammy pushes expanded use of AI in magistrates to cut jury trials
At a London event, David Lammy set out a plan to widen AI use across the justice system, saying the government will increase spending on an internal justice AI capability. He framed the move as a response to court backlogs and a program to change where and how certain criminal matters are decided.
Ministry pilots already include automated transcription in probation services that the department reports has converted more than 150,000 meetings into text and yielded about 25,000 hours of saved administrative time. Testing is now extending to tribunals, immigration hearings and magistrates’ courts where tools are being trialled to summarise remarks and draft case notes.
The announcement coincides with scrutiny after at least 21 police forces were identified as using Copilot-style systems, a controversy fuelled by instances of inaccurate outputs in policing decisions. Microsoft’s UK executive described the department as a rapid adopter of so‑called agentic AI, underscoring the role of commercial models in public sector pilots.
Lammy reiterated a policy shift to reduce the number of jury trials while preserving core fairness guarantees; currently only about 3% of criminal cases go before juries and officials expect most Crown Court trials to remain jury‑heard. He confirmed further investment in the ministry’s internal team but acknowledged the need to balance efficiency gains with legal safeguards and human oversight.
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