Justice for all cannot come at the cost of some. That was the message Shannon Taylor, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney for Henrico County, said she wanted to underscore in her keynote address to attendees of the 2025 NCRA Leadership & Legislative Boot Camp in Alexandria, Va., earlier this month.
Taylor, now in her third term, is an established and respected figure in Virginia’s legal community. Her remarks explored the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in the legal system, its impact on criminal justice reform, and how justice starts on the record. She also highlighted the indispensable role of stenographic court reporters at all levels of the legal system, acknowledging their vital contribution to the accuracy and integrity of judicial proceedings.
“The threat artificial intelligence poses against already marginalized communities isn’t just substantial, it’s well documented,” the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney said. “Which is why I believe justice starts and can end on the record.”
As the first woman elected Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney in its 377-year history, Taylor has worked to strengthen laws relating to hate crimes and stalking.
“Justice for all will not be a burden for some in Virginia if I have my way about it,” she said. “Which is why the work you do as court reporters, captioners, and videographers matters; NCRA matters.”
NCRA, which is based in Taylor’s home state of Virginia, published the first white paper dedicated to recognizing the shortfalls of artificial intelligence in the country’s legal system. The organization has spent years compiling the information and studying the industry with a dedicated ad-hoc committee The conclusion of that fact finding mission resulted in the publication of the NCRA white paper in 2023.
Nearly three years of research into the use of AI, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and digital audio recording revealed the time-sensitive need to strengthen the judicial integrity of America’s courtrooms.
“AI should not be relied on to carry out a duty that requires the expertise, critical reasoning, and proprietary skills required of a stenographic court report to capture the record,” said NCRA State Government Relations Manager Colin Brehm. “The only AI the courts ought to be implementing is the accuracy and integrity of a NCRA certificate reporter.”
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