The Law Society of England and Wales has called for clear accountability for agentic AI in justice, amid concerns that “AI is moving faster than the rules needed to govern it”.
In a report, The Future of agentic AI in the justice system, Chancery Lane said: “Systems capable of acting on our behalf could enter the justice system before we have decided where AI stops and human judgement, responsibility and accountability begin.
“With court hearings listed as far ahead as 2030, justice is currently under immense pressure. More people are turning to AI tools to help navigate legal proceedings while inaccurate or misleading AI information creates more work for courts.”
The report notes that agentic or autonomous AI, unlike generative AI, can take action on behalf of users.
“It can create new opportunities, but also bring significant risks across justice, public services and the government,” the Law Society said.
“It could help reduce court delays and improve access to justice but without robust safeguards, errors can spread quickly, accountability can be fragmented and unclear or unequal access to advanced AI tools could widen inequalities.”
In addition its demand for clear accountability, the Law Society has called for:
- transparency of AI decision-making
- meaningful human oversight
- public debate before widespread use.
Law Society vice president, Brett Dixon, said: “The justice system must not sacrifice fairness, accountability and public trust in pursuit of unmonitored efficiency.
“AI is not a silver bullet to improve the justice system. It could help to ease some administrative pressures, but it is not a replacement for much-needed investment in the court estate and additional court staff.”
Dixon added: “Legal judgement cannot be delegated. Not in courts and not in the legal sector. Professional expertise that shapes, checks, questions, improves and approves AI outputs is needed now more than ever.
“The most important question becomes not what AI can do, but what should remain human. There is still time to shape the boundaries of AI before the market does it for us.”
