National Audit Office: AI transcription tool used by probation officers highlights opportunities for improving public sector productivity

• Justice Transcribe is an AI transcription tool developed by the MoJ and HMPPS that helps probation officers record notes of their meetings with people on probation. 
• Probation staff reported productivity benefits including less time spent writing meeting notes; better-quality notes; and better engagement with the people they are supervising. 
• The NAO's case study highlights lessons for organisations that are considering introducing similar tools, including focusing on the needs of frontline staff, learning from pilots when rolling out at scale, and taking on board feedback to realise long-term benefits.

A new National Audit Office (NAO) case study highlights the Ministry of Justice (MoJ)'s and HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS)'s Justice Transcribe programme as an example of how organisations can use technology to support frontline services.^1,2

Improving public sector productivity is increasingly important as organisations seek to meet growing demands on public services with limited resources. 

The MoJ and HMPPS have introduced an AI transcription tool, Justice Transcribe, to improve the productivity of probation officers. They estimate that the tool which was tested in 2025 and then, following a pilot exercise in 2025, was rolled out to all officers between February and March 2026 will save around 450,000 hours of their time each year. The MoJ is also exploring deploying the tool in other settings including the prison and courts systems, and with the police.

Justice Transcribe reduces the amount of time officers need to write notes in meetings with people on probation; improves the quality of those notes; and improves the quality of engagement between officers and the people they are supervising, because they are not focused on note-taking.

As well as setting out how the transcription tool was identified, developed, tested, scaled and put into practice by MoJ and HMPPS, the NAO's case study identifies five steps for public sector organisations to consider when seeking to improve productivity:

1. Identify opportunities for improvement.
2. Develop solutions that meet operational needs.
3. Implement change at scale.
4. Realise and sustain benefits.
5. Embed improvements into business-as-usual operations.

Across each step, the case study emphasises the importance of engaging frontline staff, testing approaches before wider rollout, managing organisational change effectively and maintaining a focus on long-term value for money.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said:

Improving productivity is essential if public services are to meet increasing demand with limited resources.

This case study highlights practical lessons to help organisations identify opportunities for improvement, implement change successfully and realise productivity benefits by saving staff time.

ENDS
Notes to editors

1. The case study is intended as a practical example for civil servants and public sector leaders considering similar productivity initiatives, providing insights into the decisions, governance arrangements, testing approaches, implementation activities and evaluation methods that supported delivery. This publication is the first of a series of case studies the NAO plans to publish highlighting practical steps that public bodies have taken to improve their productivity, and the lessons that others can learn from them.