Courts and Tribunals Judiciary issues refreshed guidance on use of AI by judicial office holders

Senior judges have issued updated guidance aimed at assisting judicial office holders in relation to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The refreshed guidance, which replaces the guidance document issued in December 2023, expands the glossary of common terms and provides additional details on misinformation, bias, quality of datasets, and other areas of concern.

It also advises judges to inform litigants that they are responsible for the AI-generated information they present to the court/tribunal, just as for any other type of evidence, the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary said.

The updated guidance also highlights the availability of Microsoft’s private AI tool, Copilot Chat, for judicial office holders.

Copilot Chat is a part of Microsoft’s suite of applications and has been included as part of a conventional update on all judicial devices.

The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary said: “As long as judicial office holders are logged into their eJudiciary accounts, the data they enter into Copilot remains secure and private. The Judicial College has provided a helpful guide to Copilot Chat.

“All guidance within the document remains applicable to the use of ‘Copilot Chat’.”

The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary added: “The growing accessibility and relevance of AI in the court and tribunal system means it is important that its use by or on behalf of the judiciary is consistent with its overarching obligation to protect the integrity of the administration of justice.”

This updated guidance applies to all judicial office holders for whom the Lady Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunal are responsible, their clerks, judicial assistants, legal advisers/officers and other support staff.

The document has been issued by Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, Lady Chief Justice of England & Wales, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, Sir Keith Lindblom, Senior President of Tribunals, and Lord Justice Colin Birss, Deputy Head of Civil Justice.