Why AI in Courts Needs Independent Testing
The UK Ministry of Justice AI Action Plan 2025 and the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (2026) both highlight the need for rigorous, independent testing of AI tools before they’re used in courtrooms. This project responds to that call by examining whether AI‑assisted evidence retrieval and presentation can improve efficiency in court proceedings.
AiCES (AI Court Evidence System), developed by BGP Global Services, is designed to speed up evidence retrieval, presentation and real‑time transcription during hearings. Early testing suggests it could cut time and costs by up to 25%. This mock‑trial project will independently assess how efficiently AiCES works in practice.
The project is the first of its kind. Although AI adoption across public services is widely discussed, and many stakeholders see its potential to improve access to justice, there’s still little evidence about how AI might affect the judiciary. As a result, we don’t yet know whether - or to what extent - AI can improve access to justice.
Academic studies have not previously tested a live AI system in a simulated courtroom. This is the first experimental study of its type led by law academics, and its findings could shape future policy, practice and legal frameworks. The methodology we’re using here could also support similar studies in the future.
Can AI make court trials faster and improve access to justice?
Brunel Law School academics Dr Asress Gikay and Dr Eoin Guilfoyle are leading a research project exploring how AI could improve efficiency in court proceedings and strengthen access to justice.
About the project
This pilot project assesses the impact of AI‑assisted evidence presentation in court trials. It is supported by £10,000 in seed funding from Brunel University London and co‑funded by industry partner BGP Global Services. Kinly is also supporting the work by providing the hardware infrastructure for the mock trials.
The UK Ministry of Justice AI Action Plan 2025 and the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (2026) both highlight the need for rigorous, independent testing of AI tools before they are used in courtrooms. This project responds to that call by examining whether AI‑assisted evidence retrieval and presentation can make court processes more efficient.
Through a series of traditional and AI‑assisted mock trials at Brunel Law School, the project will explore how AI‑supported presentation of documentary, audio and video evidence affects trial duration, workflow efficiency and courtroom practice. A later phase will look at AI‑enabled translation and transcription, assessing operational performance as well as the socio‑ethical and legal implications of using these tools more widely across the judiciary.
AiCES (AI Court Evidence System), developed by BGP Global Services, is designed to speed up evidence retrieval, presentation and real‑time transcription during hearings. Early testing suggests it could reduce time and digital presentation costs by up to 25%. This mock‑trial project will independently assess how efficiently AiCES works in practice.
Demonstration video (Global AICES video with subs V02)
Project team:
Dr Asress Adimi Gikay
Senior Lecturer in AI, Disruptive Innovation and Law (Brunel Law School)
Principal Investigator
Dr Eoin Guilfoyle
Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice (Brunel Law School)
Co‑Investigator
Wilf Pickles
Senior Security Professional & AiCES Developer (BGP Global Services)
Industry Partner Lead
Eva Baric
Doctoral Researcher (Brunel Law School)
Research Assistant
Davis Onyancha Nyakundi
LLM AI, Law and Technology (Brunel Law School)
Research Assistant
Jemimah Alam
LLB Student (Brunel Law School)
Research Assistant
Dr Asress Adimi Gikay - Asress Gikay is a Senior Lecturer in AI, Disruptive Innovation, and Law at Brunel University London. He is an expert in legal and policy aspects of artificial intelligence including facial recognition technology, privacy and data protection. He has authored several publications on AI regulation in reputable academic journals including the Cambridge Law Journal and the Interntional Jounnal of Law and Information Technology.
His work has been widely cited by academics and media platforms including BBC News, the Telegraph, the Weekly UK and many others. Asress has been interviewed by on BBC News and BBC South Today on the regulation of facial recogntion technology in law enforcement. He contributes to several media platforms including the Guardian, the EU Observer, the Conversation UK and Policing Insight on various current topics involving AI, facial recognition, and data protection. Some of his works have been republished in several media outlets and blogs around the world, including Yahoo News, Policing Insight, Inform's Blog, and Yahoo Movies.
Asress is a member of Brunel University Center for AI: Social and Digital Innovation; he led the centre's Thought Leadership Series where academics, researchers and practictioners discuss the socio-economic, ethical, political, and policy challenges and opportunities AI technologies bring for two years(2022-2024). He also serves as a board member of the AI Centre.
BBC London Interview: police presence and live facial recognition will contribute to saftey of the Notting Hill Carnival 2025
BBC South Today Interview on Live Facial Recognition: law needs to ensure proportionality
Op-Eds
How Meta enables deepfake financial scams — and EU AI Act isn't fixing it(EU Observer, July 15, 22025), https://euobserver.com/digital/aradc7eaf8?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21301092454&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-NfDBhDyARIsAD-ILeCM8nW2VtbuO8xQoXL832Q9hp5DSri8BJzdfT3mQfylyldU2fjF9zkaAlrAEALw_wcB.
What is the EU doing on AI facial-scraping recognition, and is it enough?(EU Observer, January 27, 2025),
https://euobserver.com/digital/ar4c69411a?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-ty8BhA_EiwAkyoa34VLv618U-8zvLsTStMN-mGq4xW-dfKZs4SG90EbH_tfTvxMQNKhuhoChqwQAvD_BwE.
Where EU efforts to regulate AI fall short(EU Observer, September 13, 2024), https://euobserver.com/digital/are9af2ae9.
Facial recongition helps fight serious crime, but for minor UK offences, it should be off limits(The Gaurdian, December 24, 2023), https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/24/facial-recognition-uk-drivers-licence-police-lineup.
Recent Events
Participated as a speaker at the Momentum London AI Summit organised by Reuters on September 29–30, 2025, together with two of our students from the Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, Law and Technology programme — Andrew Kent (on the right) and Davis Onyancha Nyakundi (on the left) in the photo below.