David Lammy has said the rollout of artificial intelligence at the Ministry of Justice is already on course to save tens of thousands of staff days a year and that further applications will reduce court delays, accelerating resolution for victims.
Lammy, who is justice secretary and deputy prime minister, pointed to a raft of AI innovations being pursued by his department – including a new transcription tool for Probation Service staff and the development of legal assistance applications for court staff.
He said that every probation officer in England and Wales has now been equipped with “Justice Transcribe”, an AI tool that automatically records and transcribes conversations with offenders.
The MoJ said Justice Transcribe will cut the time probation officers currently spend transferring hand-written notes onto digital systems, allowing them to focus more time on reducing reoffending.
It said Justice Transcribe alone could “free up the equivalent of 18,750 calendar days of valuable time every year”, allowing frontline staff to spend more time monitoring offenders and keeping streets safe.
On Monday, the MoJ also announced that legal services will be the first sector to take part in the government’s AI Growth Labs initiative. It will enable the UK’s growing “lawtech” sector to develop and refine cutting-edge AI products in a secure, controlled setting, before bringing them to market.
According to the MoJ, a “raft” of new technology products is currently being developed, including AI legal assistants to support legal professionals and staff, and streamlined case management processes to get cases moving faster.
The MoJ said that before being used in crown courts, the new technology will first be trialled in highly controlled environments that “set clear standards for safe and ethical use”. It said the process would ensure any new software meets the high bar required by judges and lawyers before being considered for rollout in the courts system.
Lammy said AI has the potential to drive criminal justice system modernisation.
“Artificial intelligence has the power to transform how we live, work, and govern for the better,” he said.
“This impact for good can be seen in our justice system – with thousands of days of admin work saved for our probation staff, and the advent of new tools which aim to cut court backlogs and deliver swifter justice for victims.”
According to the MoJ, the advisory AI Growth Labs will be a “sandbox” designed to accelerate the development and deployment of AI products and services by helping innovators navigate existing regulatory frameworks with greater confidence.
The “lawtech” labs will build on existing collaboration between legal services regulators and bring together the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Legal Services Board.
Lammy said the legal sector contributes more than £40bn a year to the UK economy, but is “too often” held back by analogue systems that are not fit for the digital age.
“That’s why we’re deploying these new AI Labs, turbocharging legal innovation, helping us drive growth, boost efficiency and deliver smarter justice, as well as positioning the UK to lead internationally in this vital market,” he said.
Applications for the legal-sector focused AI Growth Labs will open this summer for tech innovators – including lawtech firms, legal service providers and conveyancing companies – before being rolled out to other sectors later in the year.