The Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) has published its first-ever report on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in judicial systems, highlighting the growing integration of digital tools across Europe’s courts and reinforcing the importance of transparency, ethics, and human oversight in the justice sector.
The report, released earlier this year, was compiled by the CEPEJ’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board, which was established in 2022. It draws on data from the CEPEJ’s Resource Centre on Cyberjustice and Artificial Intelligence, a public platform created to track and evaluate the deployment of AI and digital tools within the judiciary. As of the end of 2024, the Centre had catalogued 125 systems implemented primarily by public institutions across Europe.
These “cyberjustice” tools are reshaping legal services through document analysis, decision support, online dispute resolution, anonymisation, transcription, and workflow automation. Most tools are designed for legal professionals and court administrators, with machine learning and natural language processing technologies becoming particularly prevalent.
Among the notable tools highlighted are Germany’s OLGA system, which helps classify high-volume litigation documents, and the Netherlands’ LEXIQ, which aids prosecutors by predicting litigation outcomes using AI. Spain’s transcription tool and Portugal’s conversational AI legal guide also demonstrate practical AI applications that support accessibility and efficiency in justice.
Despite the proliferation of tools, the report firmly emphasizes that no existing AI system is capable of fully autonomous judicial decision-making — rebutting the notion of “robot judges.” Instead, AI is increasingly seen as a support mechanism to augment human judgment.
The report also underscores significant legal developments, including the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe’s AI Framework Convention, both of which aim to regulate AI’s deployment while safeguarding human rights, democracy, and judicial independence.
Looking ahead, CEPEJ calls for regular evaluations of AI tools, greater inclusion of judicial professionals in tool design, and continued adherence to fundamental rights. The Resource Centre will remain central to these efforts, supporting data-driven oversight and responsible innovation in Europe’s courts.
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