Rising use of AI in Canadian courtrooms creates divide

Read the original at Global News ↗
Global News · collected 2026-09-20 · by Toni De Guzman

Quick Summary

Canadian courts are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence tools, with their use rising from 104 in 2025 to 142 so far in 2026, according to Tom Macintosh Zheng of Courtready. This trend provides legal assistance to individuals who cannot afford a lawyer—over 80% of AI users are self-represented—but it also reduces practical experience for law students.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

In Canadian courtrooms, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasing rapidly, growing from 104 instances in 2025 to 142 so far in 2026 according to Tom Macintosh Zheng, co-founder of Courtready. This trend is driven partly by financial constraints, with over 80% of those using AI technology being self-represented litigants who cannot afford legal representation. While the rise of AI provides access to justice for some, it also raises concerns about diminishing practical experience for law students who traditionally gain such knowledge through court work.

Written for “AI in Courtrooms Canada” on 2026-10-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
3
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 3 hedged
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Correction & hedging signals
63.7
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
1
Technology
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

Story

📰 AI in Courtrooms Canada
Technology · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
AI minister says Canada working 'alongside' partners on AI safety different event · 95%
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⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 7 📰 publisher trust 63
“Article A discusses the rise of AI use in Canadian courtrooms, while Article B covers Canada's approach to international collaboration on AI safety and regulation.”
B.C. attorney general seeks Criminal Code change after Tumbler Ridge AI chat report different event · 95%
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⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 23 📰 publisher trust 63
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI in Canadian legal contexts; one covers the general rise and impact of AI tools, while the other focuses on a specific attorney general's response to an incident involving AI and crime.”
MPs split on whether AI should be used in House of Commons different event · 95%
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⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 3 of 22 📰 publisher trust 63
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI usage: one in Canadian courtrooms and the other in the House of Commons.”

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Toni De Guzman
11 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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🔮 “There’s no guarantee that anyone will not re-offend.
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Topics

Canadian Courtready

Subjects

Canadian NORP · 1× Courtready ORG · 1× Macintosh Zheng PERSON · 1× Tom Macintosh Zheng PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Tom Macintosh Zheng, co-founder of Courtready, a website that offers tools and databases advising firms about AI, said the number of AI use has been climbing from 104 in 2025 to 142 in 2026 so far.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20
2026-09-20 · Global News
Rising use of AI in Canadian courtrooms creates divide · assertive framing

Claims (3 extracted, 0 hedged)

Canadian courts are seeing a rise in use of artificial intelligence, giving some access to justice while taking valuable work experience away from law students, experts say. asserted
experts → see → students
Tom Macintosh Zheng, co-founder of Courtready, a website that offers tools and databases advising firms about AI, said the number of AI use has been climbing from 104 in 2025 to 142 in 2026 so far. asserted
number → offer → 2026
Get breaking National news “They’re using AI because they can’t afford a lawyer,” said Macintosh Zheng, noting over 80 per cent of people using the technology are self-represented. asserted
cent → get → technology
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