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Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly common presence in Canadian courtrooms, offering new pathways to legal access for some while raising concerns about the impact on the next generation of legal professionals.
Tom Macintosh Zheng, co-founder of Courtready, a platform that provides tools and databases to help firms navigate AI use, says the number of AI-related instances in Canadian courts has grown steadily. The figure climbed from 104 in 2025 to 142 so far in 2026, according to his data.
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Self-Represented Litigants Drive AI Adoption
The primary driver behind this trend is cost. Macintosh Zheng notes that more than 80 percent of people using AI in court proceedings are self-represented. Many of these individuals simply cannot afford legal representation.
“They’re using AI because they can’t afford a lawyer,” Macintosh Zheng said. For many Canadians, AI tools have become a practical substitute for professional legal advice. As a result, technology is filling a gap that the traditional legal system has long struggled to address.
Concerns Over Impact on Law Students
However, the rise of AI in legal settings is not without its drawbacks. Experts warn that the growing reliance on these tools is reducing the volume of routine legal work that law students traditionally use to build practical experience. That hands-on exposure has long been considered essential to professional development in the legal field.
The tension between expanding access to justice and protecting the training pipeline for future lawyers sits at the heart of the debate. Meanwhile, courts and legal institutions across Canada continue to grapple with how to regulate and respond to AI’s expanding role. The conversation around standards, oversight and fairness in AI-assisted legal proceedings is only just beginning.
Courtready, the platform Macintosh Zheng co-founded, tracks AI use across Canadian courts and advises legal firms on how to approach the technology responsibly. His data offers one of the clearest pictures yet of how quickly AI is reshaping the country’s legal landscape. As those numbers continue to rise, both legal professionals and policymakers face growing pressure to respond.
