UK Confirms Trial of AI Transcription in Courts and Doctors Surgeries with Custom App

The UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed that it is “actively exploring” how AI can be used to produce transcripts in court proceedings as it trials a new AI transcription tool across government agencies. 

Sarah Sackman, Minister of State for the Ministry of Justice said, “It is imperative that court transcripts are of a very high standard, and redacted as may be required, to provide an accurate record of official proceedings and in order to safeguard the interests of the parties, witnesses and victims.”

“The production of Crown Court transcripts is currently a manual process delivered by third-party suppliers. Under the contract, suppliers are required to produce transcripts to 99.5% accuracy. We are targeting a similar level of accuracy in AI transcripts. We are actively exploring opportunities to use technology to reduce the cost of transcripts in future, but a high degree of accuracy will be of paramount importance,” she concluded.

The third-party suppliers currently providing human-enabled transcription services to the MoJ are Acolad (via Ubiqus), Appen, DA Languages, Epiq, eScribers, Marten Walsh Cherer, Opus 2, and The Transcription Agency, which were awarded a 4-year framework contract from July 2023.

UK Government AI Transcription Tool: Minute

In April 2025, the UK government released a research report on AI usage in government departments, which revealed that the government had developed its proprietary AI transcription tool — Minute.

Minute is currently “undergoing Alpha trials across the public sector, including a discovery with 25 local authorities.” Discovery includes trials with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which is reportedly using Minute to “transcribe and analyze patient notes in [doctors’] surgeries.”

Public servants using Minute can generate AI transcriptions by uploading existing audio or video files, or can record directly in the Minute application. The tool supports speaker diarization and enables users to produce summaries using a range of tailored templates for local government, including official cabinet-style templates and care assessment templates.

In addition, users can interact with the transcript directly by requesting edits or querying the output using an in-built chat function.

The Alpha testing is set to conclude in July 2025, when a summary of findings will be published and new use cases will begin after September 2025.

The news of AI transcription usage in the UK government’s public institutions follows the MoJ’s announcement last year that AI was being trialed to translate in prisons, as part of an inquiry into language service procurement in the public sector.