UK judge calls for AI to help decide civil disputes

Geoffrey Vos, retiring as Master of the Rolls, told WIRED that courts worldwide should consider using AI to resolve civil disputes. He uses Microsoft Copilot daily to find documents and was impressed by AI-assisted courts in Shenzhen. Vos believes simple injury and low-value negligence claims could be adjudicated by AI, while complex commercial and family cases should stay with human judges.

• Vos uses Copilot to locate documents and check facts, but not to write judgments
• County court cases in England are rising about 10% a year, partly driven by AI chatbots
• Vos sees simple injury and low-value negligence claims as suitable for AI adjudication
• Lawyers have cited AI-hallucinated case law, and one recently lost their license