UK Courts to Expand Microsoft Copilot Use With Additional £12M AI Funding Planned for Next Year

The UK government has decided to embed AI deeper into the court system, pledging new funding and expansion of AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot. According to a report by The Register, Justice Secretary David Lammy unveiled the plan during a Microsoft AI event in London, hinting a shift in effort to modernize England and Wales’ strained legal infrastructure.

AI expansion targets backlogs and court efficiency

The Ministry of Justice is already among the fastest-growing government users of Copilot. Now, AI will play a larger operational role, such as support for speech transcription, summarizing judgments, and assisting with case scheduling.

Courts and tribunals are testing technology first rolled out in the Probation Service, where automated transcription of offender meetings has reportedly saved more than 25,000 staff hours.

Meanwhile, immigration and asylum judges are experimenting with AI-generated notes, while magistrates’ courts are piloting transcription and judgment summaries. Meanwhile, HM Courts and Tribunals Service plans to introduce an AI-assisted listing tool to streamline scheduling.

To speed things up, the Justice AI Unit is set to receive more than £12 million in additional funding next financial year. The extra cash hints that it is not a short-term pilot, but a broader structural shift in how courts may operate going forward.

Speaking of inspiration, Lammy pointed to Canada’s Ontario Court of Justice, describing it as “digital by design” and fully paperless. He suggested the experience felt less like visiting another country and more like seeing the future of courtrooms.

Let’s not forget that Microsoft’s Copilot was recently linked to a serious real-world mistake involving law enforcement in the UK. The issue came to light after the chief constable of West Midlands Police admitted that Copilot had hallucinated a football match that never happened, and that false information ended up inside an official intelligence report