Generative AI is transforming how courts automate processes, streamline workflows, and serve the public — creating opportunities for efficiency while raising questions about ethics, accuracy, and fairness. Judges, administrators, and court staff now have access to free, role-specific training to help them adopt artificial intelligence responsibly in court operations.
To help courts implement AI responsibly, the Thomson Reuters Institute (TRI)/NCSC AI Policy Consortium for Law & Courts has launched AI Literacy for Courts. The new educational program was created by the consortium’s workforce readiness workgroup and offers tailored learning pathways for judges, administrators, staff attorneys, court reporters, clerks, and interpreters.
The program offers more than 20 resources in various formats — videos, webinars, reports, guidance documents, and knowledge-check questions — designed to meet the specific needs of different court roles. Eight resources apply to all, while others target specific positions with tailored content that addresses their unique responsibilities and challenges.
Curriculum highlights include:
- Ethical principles and operational best practices: Data privacy, fairness, transparency, human oversight, and risk avoidance.
- AI tools in court operations: Practical applications for HR tasks, translation services, public-facing chatbots, legal research, and document review.
- Navigating emerging challenges: Advanced guidance on deepfake evidence, risk mitigation, preventing “hallucinations,” effective governance, and ethical guardrails.
An introductory webinar on Nov. 19, “AI Literacy for Courts: A New Framework for Role-Specific Education,” will showcase the program, explore resources available for each court role, and provide implementation strategies for court leaders.
The consortium’s October webinar, “Key Considerations for Using Generative AI Tools in Legal Practice and Courts,” is available on demand and offers foundational best practices for courts considering AI adoption.
Visit ncsc.org/ai to find the course and access more AI resources.