Victims’ Commissioner welcomes AI court transcripts pilot
The government has announced a pilot by HM Courts & Tribunals Service to test the use of artificial intelligence to produce court transcripts.
New research will explore how AI can be used to transcribe court hearings, with the aim of improving access to court records for victims and others who need them.
In a statement, the Victims’ Commissioner welcomed the pilot as an important step towards improving access to justice for victims and families, describing it as a campaign win for Open Justice For All.
Access to transcripts is vital for victims and families, helping them understand what happened in court, process proceedings in their own time and support their recovery, while also strengthening transparency and accountability across the justice system.
I now urge the Government to ensure that sentencing decisions and justice outcomes are always explained clearly and in a way that is meaningful for victims and families at the point of sentencing.
At present, the cost of obtaining court transcripts can be high, meaning that victims may face significant expense when seeking an official record of proceedings.
The findings from the new research could help inform future approaches to providing transcripts, including opportunities to reduce costs and make court transcripts easier to obtain for those who need access to them.
The Government also announced that from Spring 2027, victims whose cases are going through the Crown Court will have access to free transcripts of
judges’ sentencing remarks, upon request.