Sir Geoffrey Vos urges judges and lawyers to prepare for AI-driven change as courts face growing pressure to modernise
The Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, has warned that artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape the delivery of justice, urging judges and lawyers to act now to prepare court systems for the “machine age”.
He delivered the lecture at the Judicial Institute for Scotland’s biennial event in Edinburgh on 30 April 2026, attended by more than 120 invited guests. The Lord President, Lord Pentland, hosted the event, welcoming senior judicial figures including the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Beckett, Lady Drummond, chair of the Judicial Institute, and the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Siobhan Keegan.
In his lecture, Sir Geoffrey said the legal profession has yet to fully grasp the scale of disruption ahead. “Lawyers and judges across Europe and beyond have yet, I think, to come completely to terms with the effect that AI will actually have on the way we deliver justice,” he said.
He added that many still assume the impact will be limited: “Many would like to believe that it will not affect anything judges do very much at all. Many want to believe that justice is so special and that lawyers and judges are indispensable and immune from the ravages of the AI revolution.”
Sir Geoffrey acknowledged the enduring importance of human decision-making but made clear that this would not prevent change. “I am sure it is true to say that justice and justice systems are special, and that humans will continue to have need of human judicial decision-making.”
He continued: “Nonetheless, the lawyers and judges of today must embrace technology to deliver justice in a more streamlined way.”
The lecture placed responsibility squarely on the current generation of legal professionals. Sir Geoffrey said they must “do the hard work necessary to lay the foundations for justice systems of the future”, describing the present moment as one of “seismic change” following the rapid emergence of generative AI since 2022.
He indicated that economic pressures will drive greater use of AI in routine cases, with machines increasingly capable of determining straightforward disputes more quickly and at lower cost. However, he stressed that human judges will remain central, particularly in decisions affecting fundamental rights and the development of legal principles.
Sir Geoffrey also pointed to changing public expectations, particularly among younger generations who are accustomed to digital platforms and rapid access to information. He said justice systems must reflect “shorter attention spans and quite different expectations” among those who will use them in the future.
Opening the event, the Lord President paid tribute to Sir Geoffrey’s role in legal reform. “As Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales, Sir Geoffrey has played a leading role in shaping modern civil justice and in considering how technological change, including AI, may be engaged with responsibly and consistently with judicial values,” he said.
He added: “His vast experience, both judicial and administrative, places him in a unique position to address these issues from a practical and principled perspective. It is no overstatement to say that he is one of the judiciary’s most influential champions of digital transformation.”
Sir Geoffrey highlighted ongoing efforts to build a digital justice system in England and Wales, designed to provide accessible online routes to legal advice and dispute resolution without the need for lengthy court proceedings.
Concluding, he underlined that reform is unavoidable. “Justice and the rule of law will remain critical in the machine age,” he said. “But the practices and processes of the 19th century will need to be rapidly adapted to provide relevant digital justice systems fit for the 21st century.”
Read the full speech here.