AI in justice – how can we enable the right outcomes?

A lot of the talk about AI adoption revolves around the need for efficiency, productivity, and growth. But while in the legal sectors there are undoubtedly time-consuming discovery and summation processes that impact on lawyers’ billable hours, reform in the justice sector should be based on a different set of objectives: fairness, transparency, and ethical behavior. Plus, access to legal redress, which is often denied to those who lack the financial means to pursue it.

So, the real questions when applying AI to justice should be: what is the outcome that we are seeking, and what does ‘good’ look like?

That’s the view of public policy and AI expert, Sophia Adams Bhatti. In January 2025, she was Chair and co-author of the report AI in Our Justice System, published by legal reform charity, JUSTICE.

That report urges legal professionals to ensure that, first, AI adoption is led by the ...