Artificial intelligence (AI) is being rapidly adopted across the UK justice system, despite limited evidence that it improves people’s experiences, outcomes or access to justice.
A new report, commissioned as part of our Public right to justice programme, finds that AI is being deployed across the justice system “faster than its full effects on the public can be independently or transparently evaluated.” AI deployment is “materially outpacing the production of independent evidence about its effects on the people the system serves”.
The report calls for greater transparency, stronger oversight, and renewed focus on ensuring AI supports fair, effective and accessible justice.
Report author, Dr Holli Sargeant at the University of Cambridge, found that 45 AI tools are already in use or development across civil and family justice and advice services, yet only seven had any publicly available evaluation and many performance claims remain unverified. The report notes, “the evidence base cannot answer the central question of whether AI improves access to justice in practice”, making robust independent evaluation an urgent priority.
Artificial intelligence & justice argues that as AI becomes increasingly embedded in justice processes, policymakers, practitioners and developers must prioritise independent research, transparency and accountability to ensure technology supports, rather than undermines, access to justice.
The report author’s recommendations include:
- Future evaluation and research focus on outcomes that matter most to justice users, including whether people can better understand their rights, access appropriate support, participate meaningfully in proceedings, achieve fair outcomes, and feel that they have been treated with dignity and fairness.
- Stronger monitoring of fairness and differential impacts across demographic groups, alongside user-centred design and appropriate human support, particularly in sensitive justice settings where automated assistance alone may not be sufficient.
- AI could help make justice more accessible and effective, but whether it ultimately advances or undermines access to justice remains “an open question, and one the public is entitled to have answered”.
While existing research suggests AI could help reduce administrative burdens, improve access to legal information, and support routine legal work, research has not kept pace with its rollout.
The report finds that “AI evaluations have not yet measured the outcomes that matter most from the standpoint of the people the justice system serves”, with fairness, understanding, user experience and public confidence all under-examined.
AI could make the justice system more accessible and effective, but it could also deepen existing inequalities and erode public trust. Which future we get depends on decisions being made now, largely without independent evidence. This report is not an argument against AI in justice; it is an argument for transparent and accountable use, for measuring what really matters, and for ensuring AI improves outcomes for the people the justice system is meant to serve.Dr Holli Sargeant
AI and digital tools have the potential to address many of the justice system’s current challenges and people’s access to it, but as this research shows their benefits – and public trust in them – will remain limited unless concerns about effectiveness, legitimacy and transparency are addressed.Rob Street, Director of Justice
AI is ramping up in high-stakes contexts, such as the justice system, with the aim of saving time and costs. Policymakers and public sector leaders lack the evidence they need to ensure AI adoption is safe, trustworthy, effective and delivering value for people and society. This is why we have been calling for a What Works Centre for AI in the public sector to ensure that AI works for the service and the public.Imogen Parker, Ada Lovelace Institute
