Tools & Platforms

U.S. State Courts Cautiously Approach AI Despite Efficiency Promises and Staffing Crises

Published

2 months ago

July 11, 2025

A new survey of state courts reveals a striking paradox in the American judicial system: Even though courts face severe staffing shortages and operational strain, they remain reluctant to adopt generative artificial intelligence technologies that could provide significant relief.

The Thomson Reuters Institute’s third annual survey of state courts, conducted in partnership with the National Center for State Courts AI Policy Consortium, found that 68% of courts reported staff shortages and 48% of court professionals say they do not have enough time to get their work done.

Despite these pressures, however, just 17% say their court is using gen AI today.

Courts Under Strain

The survey, which gathered responses from 443 state, county, and municipal court judges and professionals between March and April 2025, paints a picture of courts under significant strain.

Seventy-one percent of state courts and 56% of county/municipal courts experienced staff shortages in the past year, with 61% anticipating continued shortages in the next 12 months.

This staffing crisis translates into demanding work schedules, with 53% of respondents saying they work between 40 and 45 hours a week on average, and an additional 38% working over 46 hours a week.

Perhaps most telling, only half of court professionals said they had enough time to get their work done.

These workload pressures are only getting worse. Nearly half of respondents (45%) reported an increase in their caseloads compared to last year and 39% said the issues they are dealing with have become more complex.

Meanwhile, 24% of respondents reported increases in court delays, compared to 18% who reported decreases.

AI Adoption Remains Limited

Against this backdrop of operational strain, the survey reveals a cautious approach to AI adoption that seems at odds with the technology’s potential benefits.

Currently, only 17% of respondents said their court was using gen AI, and an additional 17% said their court was planning to adopt gen AI technology over the next year.

This slow adoption occurs despite widespread recognition of AI’s transformative potential, with 55% of respondents rating AI and gen AI as having a transformational or high impact on courts over the next five years.

The survey found that AI and gen AI is the highest-ranking impactful trend, rated as transformational or high impact by 55% of respondents.

Court professionals clearly see the efficiency benefits AI could provide. Court professionals predict that in the next year, gen AI will help them save an average of nearly three hours a week, rising to nearly nine hours a week within five years.

The projected time savings could be substantial: Respondents estimate they will save an average of nearly three hours every week in the next year, growing to nearly six hours each week within three years and 8.8 hours each week within five years.

Barriers to AI Implementation

So what is keeping courts back? The survey identifies several factors contributing to courts’ cautious AI adoption.

Seventy percent of respondents said their courts are currently not allowing employees to use AI-based tools for court business, and 75% of respondents said their court has not yet provided any AI training.

There are also varied but significant concerns about AI implementation.

More than a third (35%) are worried that AI will lead to an overreliance on technology rather than skill, while a quarter have concerns about malicious use of AI, such as counterfeit orders and evidence. Interestingly, only 9% were worried about widespread job loss resulting from AI.

Budget constraints may also play a role in limiting technology adoption. The survey found that 22% say their budget for the next year increased, while 30% said budgets decreased, and 30% say budgets stayed the same.

Current Technology Landscape

While AI adoption lags, courts have made progress implementing other technologies. Most courts have adopted key technologies, including case management (86%), e-filing (85%), calendar management (83%), and document management (82%).

Video conferencing has reached near-universal adoption at 88%.

However, some technology gaps remain. Beyond gen AI, the most common technologies set to be adopted next are legal self-help portals, online dispute resolution and document automation.

Virtual Hearings Widely Adopted

The survey shows significant adoption of virtual hearings, with 80% of respondents saying their court conducts or participates in virtual hearings.

In more than 40% of all jurisdictions, virtual hearings are available for first/initial appearances, preliminary/status hearings and/or motion hearings.

Virtual hearings appear to improve court efficiency in some areas. 58% of respondents reported that virtual courts decrease failure to appear rates, and 84% reported that virtual courts increase access to justice.

However, the digital divide presents ongoing challenges. Nearly one in five respondents (19%) feel that the majority of litigants are experiencing decreased access to justice because they lack strong technology skills.

Court access for people with lower digital literacy and fewer technical support resources were ranked as the top challenges for litigants involved in virtual hearings.

Cybersecurity Concerns

As courts increasingly rely on technology, cybersecurity emerges as a critical concern. The survey reveals significant variation in confidence levels regarding IT security.

While 57% of respondents feel highly confident in their IT systems’ security, an alarming 22% of respondents say they are “not at all confident” in the security of their IT systems.

Generational Workforce Changes

The survey identifies generational workforce shifts as another major factor affecting courts. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers exiting the workplace, along with Gen Zers entering the workforce and Millennials moving into leadership positions, are trends frequently ranked as transformational or high impact.

These demographic changes have important implications for technology adoption. As the report notes, Gen Zers are digital natives who are very comfortable using technology and may find it easier to manage automated workflows, while they may be resistant to jobs and tasks that still rely heavily on manual tasks.

Reducing Operational Errors

The survey provides insights about task efficiency and error rates in court operations.

Entering and updating data in court management systems was rated as both the most error-prone task by a wide margin and also as the second-most inefficient task. This finding suggests that greater use of automation in CMS entry could yield major improvements in both efficiency and error rates.

The survey also found correlations between different operational challenges. Tasks that are more stressful are also correlated with causing inconvenience for court users, suggesting that addressing workflow inefficiencies could simultaneously improve both staff satisfaction and user experience.

A Critical Juncture for Courts

The survey suggests that courts face a strategic choice: embrace AI technologies that could significantly alleviate operational pressures, or risk falling further behind as staffing challenges intensify and workloads continue to grow.

“We’re facing challenges — staff don’t think they have enough time to meet their demands, and they’re working more hours to get the work done, and that’s leading to burnout,” said David Slayton, executive officer and clerk of court for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County.

“It’s incumbent on court leaders to really think about how technology can help us with this problem.”

Mike Abbott, head of Thomson Reuters Institute, underscored the urgency of the situation.

“Courts are facing an unprecedented convergence of change, driven by generative AI and generational shifts in their workforce, at the same time as they continue to deal with staff shortages, backlogs and delays,” Abbott said.

“AI literacy can empower the courts to understand both the risks and the opportunities associated with the technology, enabling them to identify the best use cases which help them focus on higher value work.”

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Tools & Platforms

DRUID AI Raises $31 Million Series C

Published

27 minutes ago

September 16, 2025

William Harris

DRUID AI today announced it has secured $31 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO Joseph Kim. The strategic investment – which will advance DRUID AI’s mission to empower companies to create, manage, and orchestrate conversational AI agents – was led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures.

“This investment is both a testament to DRUID AI’s success and a catalyst to elevate businesses globally through the power of agentic AI,” said Kim. “Customer success is what it’s all about, and delivering real business outcomes requires understanding companies’ pain points and introducing innovations that help those customers address their complex challenges. That’s the DRUID AI way, and now we’re bringing it to the world through this new phase of global growth.”

Roland Dennert, manager partner at Cipio Partners, a premier global growth equity fund, explained: “At Cipio Partners, we focus on supporting growth-stage technology companies that have achieved product-market fit and are ready to scale. DRUID AI aligns perfectly with our investment strategy – offering a differentiated, AI-based product in a vast and rapidly growing market. Our investment will help accelerate DRUID AI’s expansion into the U.S. and elsewhere, fuel further technological advancements, and strengthen its position as a global leader in enterprise AI solutions. We are excited to partner with DRUID AI on its journey and look forward to supporting the company in shaping the future of enterprise AI-driven interactions.”

Kim’s proven track record in leading high-performance teams and scaling AI-driven technology businesses ideally positions him to spearhead that effort. He has more than two decades of operating executive experience in application, infrastructure, and security industries. Most recently, he was CEO of Sumo Logic. He serves on the boards of directors of SmartBear and Andela. In addition, he was a senior operating partner at private equity firm Francisco Partners, CPTO at Citrix, SolarWinds, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and chief architect at GE.

DRUID AI cofounder and Chief Operating Officer Andreea Plesea, who had been interim CEO, commented: “I am delighted Joseph is taking the reins as CEO to drive our next level of growth. His commitment to customer success and developing the exact solutions customers need is in total sync with the approach that has fueled our progress and positioned us to raise new funds. Joseph and the Series C set up DRUID AI and our clients for expanded innovation and impact.”

The appointment of Kim as CEO and the new funding come on the heels of DRUID AI earning a Challenger spot in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Conversational AI Platforms for 2025. This is just the latest development validating the maturity of DRUID AI’s platform and its readiness to deliver business results in a market that is experiencing rapid advancement and adoption.

In 2024, DRUID AI grew ARR 2.7x year-over-year. Its award-winning platform has powered more than 1 billion conversations across thousands of agents. In addition, the DRUID AI global partner ecosystem has attracted industry giants Microsoft, Genpact, Cognizant, and Accenture.

DRUID AI is trusted by more than 300 global clients across banking, financial services, government, healthcare, higher education, manufacturing, retail, and telecommunications. Leading organizations such as AXA Insurance, Carrefour, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Georgia Southern University, Kmart Australia, Liberty Global Group, MatrixCare, National Health Service, and Orange Auchan have adopted DRUID AI to redefine the way they operate.

Companies have embraced DRUID AI to help teams accelerate digital operations, reduce the complexity of day-to-day work, enhance user experience, and maximize technology ROI. Powered by advanced agentic AI and driven by the DRUID Conductor, its core orchestration engine, the DRUID platform enables businesses to effortlessly deploy AI agents and intelligent apps that streamline processes, integrate seamlessly with existing systems, and fulfill complex requests efficiently. DRUID AI’s end-to-end platform delivers 98% first response accuracy.

“At Georgia Southern, we recognized that to truly meet the needs of today’s digital native students, we needed to offer dynamic and accurate real-time support that would solve their issues on the spot,” said Ashlea Anderson, CIO at Georgia Southern University. “By leveraging DRUID AI’s platform, we’ve created personalized and intuitive experiences to support students throughout their academic journeys, increasing enrollment and student retention. The result is a more efficient, connected campus where students feel supported, engaged, and better positioned to succeed.”

To learn more, visit www.druidai.com.

About DRUID AI

DRUID AI (druidai.com) is an end-to-end enterprise-grade AI platform that enables lightning-fast development and deployment of AI agents, knowledge bases, and intelligent apps for teams looking to automate business processes and improve technology ROI. DRUID AI Agents enable personalized, omnichannel, and secure interactions while seamlessly integrating with existing business systems. Since 2018, DRUID AI has been actively pursuing its vision of providing each employee with an intelligent virtual assistant, establishing an extensive partner network of over 200 partners, and servicing more than 300 clients worldwide.

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Tools & Platforms

VA leader eyes ‘aggressive deployment’ of AI as watchdog warns of challenges to get there

Published

31 minutes ago

September 16, 2025

mnazzaro

A key technology leader at the Department of Veterans Affairs told lawmakers Monday that the agency intends to “capitalize” on artificial intelligence to help overcome its persistent difficulties in providing timely care and maintaining cost-effective operations.

At the same time, a federal watchdog warned the same lawmakers that the VA could face challenges before the agency can effectively do so.

Lawmakers on the House VA subcommittee on technology modernization pressed Charles Worthington, the VA’s chief data officer and chief technology officer, over the agency’s plans to deploy AI across its dozens of facilities as the federal government increasingly turns to automation technology.

“I’m pleased to report that all VA employees now have access to a secure, generative AI tool to assist them with their work,” Worthington told the subcommittee. “In surveys, users of this tool are reporting that it’s saving them over two hours per week.”

Worthington outlined how the agency is utilizing machine learning in agency workflows, as well as in clinical care for earlier disease detection and ambient listening tools that are expected to be rolled out at some facilities later this year. The technology can also be used to identify veterans who may be at high risk of overdose and suicide, Worthington added.

“Despite our progress, adopting AI tools does present challenges,” Worthington acknowledged in his opening remarks. “Integrating new AI solutions with a complex system architecture and balancing innovation with stringent security compliance is crucial.”

Carol Harris, the Government Accountability Office’s director of information technology and cybersecurity, later revealed during the hearing that VA officials told the watchdog that “existing federal AI policy could present obstacles to the adoption of generative AI, including in the areas of cybersecurity, data privacy and IT acquisitions.”

Harris noted that generative AI can require infrastructure with significant computational and technical resources, which the VA has reported issues accessing and receiving funding for. The GAO outlined an “AI accountability framework” in a full report to solve some of these issues.

Questions were also raised over the VA’s preparedness to deploy the technology to the agency’s more than 170 facilities.

“We have such an issue with the VA because it’s a big machine, and we’re trying to compound or we’re trying to bring in artificial intelligence to streamline the process, and you have 172 different VA facilities, plus satellite campuses, and that’s 172 different silos, and they don’t work together,” said Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas. “They don’t communicate very well with each other.”

Worthington said he believes AI is being used at facilities nationwide. Luttrell pushed back, stating he’s heard from multiple sites that don’t have AI functions because “their sites aren’t ready.”

“Or they don’t have the infrastructure in place to do that because we keep compounding software on top of software, and some sites can’t function at all with [the] new software they’re trying to implement,” Luttrell added.

Worthington responded: “I would agree that having standardized systems is a challenge at the VA, and so there is a bit of a difference in different facilities. Although I do think many of them are starting to use AI-assisted medical devices, for example, and a number of those are covered in this inventory,” in reference to the VA’s AI use case inventory.

Luttrell then asked if the communication between sites needs to happen before AI can be implemented.

“We can’t wait because AI is here whether we’re ready or not,” said Worthington, who suggested creating a standard template that sites can use, pointing to the VA GPT tool as an example. VA GPT is available to every VA employee, he added.

Worthington told lawmakers that recruiting and retaining AI talent remains difficult, while scaling commercial AI tools brings new costs.

Aside from facility deployment, lawmakers repeatedly raised concerns about data privacy, given the VA’s extensive collection of medical data. Amid these questions, Worthington maintained that all AI systems must meet “rigorous security and privacy standards” before receiving an authority to operate within the agency.

“Before we bring a system into production, we have to review that system for its compliance with those requirements and ensure that the partners that are working with us on those systems attest to and agree with those requirements,” he said.

Members from both sides of the aisle raised concerns about data security after the AI model had been implemented in the agency. Subcommittee chair Tom Barrett, R-Mich., said he does not want providers to “leech” off the VA’s extensive repository of medical data “solely for the benefit” of AI, and not the agency.

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Tools & Platforms

Tech giants to pour billions into UK AI. Here’s what we know so far

Published

1 hour ago

September 16, 2025

Ryan Browne

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at Microsoft Build AI Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 30, 2024.

Adek Berry | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON — Microsoft said on Tuesday that it plans to invest $30 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.K. by 2028.

The investment includes $15 billion in capital expenditures and $15 billion in its U.K. operations, Microsoft said. The company said the investment would enable it to build the U.K.’s “largest supercomputer,” with more than 23,000 advanced graphics processing units, in partnership with Nscale, a British cloud computing firm.

The spending commitment comes as President Donald Trump embarks on a state visit to Britain. Trump arrived in the U.K. Tuesday evening and is set to be greeted at Windsor Castle on Wednesday by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

During his visit, all eyes are on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is under pressure to bring stability to the country after the exit of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner over a house tax scandal and a major cabinet reshuffle.

On a call with reporters on Tuesday, Microsoft President Brad Smith said his stance on the U.K. has warmed over the years. He previously criticized the country over its attempt in 2023 to block the tech giant’s $69 billion acquisition of video game developer Activision-Blizzard. The deal was cleared by the U.K.s competition regulator later that year.

“I haven’t always been optimistic every single day about the business climate in the U.K.,” Smith said. However, he added, “I am very encouraged by the steps that the government has taken over the last few years.”

“Just a few years ago, this kind of investment would have been inconceivable because of the regulatory climate then and because there just wasn’t the need or demand for this kind of large AI investment,” Smith said.

Starmer and Trump are expected to sign a new deal Wednesday “to unlock investment and collaboration in AI, Quantum, and Nuclear technologies,” the government said in a statement late Tuesday.

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