Should AI Decide Your Court Case? This Judge Says Yes

Geoffrey Vos, who is retiring as England’s Master of the Rolls, is urging the courts to consider using artificial intelligence to decide some civil disputes. He says AI could speed up resolutions and reduce costs, while recognising that complex commercial and sensitive family cases may still need human judges.

Vos says he uses Microsoft Copilot to find documents and navigate large volumes of material, but not to write judgments. In England, current guidance limits judges’ AI use mainly to administrative tasks; in Shenzhen, he saw AI supporting decisions in civil cases. The technology also brings risks: lawyers have cited fabricated case law, a UK solicitor has lost their practising licence partly over misuse of AI, and chatbot-assisted claims are adding pressure to courts.