Reston, VA, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RESTON, Va., Dec. 2, 2024 — Efforts to continue to raise awareness about the impact of integrating artificial intelligence into the courtroom to record and preserve the official record will remain a major focus in 2025 for the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters and captioners. With the theme, The Real AI: Accuracy & Integrity, NCRA’s efforts will continue to shed light on the potential perils of relying on AI to capture and preserve the official record in the courtroom as well as other venues where an accurate and secure transcript, which only a live stenographic court reporter can provide, is vital.
The theme will be carried across all of NCRA’s activities including the Association’s advocacy efforts, Court Reporting & Captioning Week, Celebrate Certification Month, and its Conference & Expo. In 2024, NCRA’s government relations team engaged in efforts to ramp up awareness of the dangers relying on AI in the judicial system could pose. Below is a complete rundown of those efforts that included issuing national press releases, reaching out to bar associations and lawmakers, and more.
- What you need to know before integrating artificial intelligence into the record
- National Court Reporters Association seeks to raise awareness of pitfalls of artificial intelligence in Nebraska courts
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- “Artificial intelligence (AI) predicts the spoken word; it does not capture the spoken word unlike a certified court reporter,” said NCRA President, Kristin M. Anderson, M.A., RPR, CRI, FCRR. “The integrity of the record matters at all levels of our nation’s judiciary, and Nebraska cannot be the exception.”
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- “The consequences of relying on artificial intelligence to capture the spoken word are unprecedented and frankly, unreliable, which is exactly why NCRA is closely monitoring this situation in Ohio in coordination with our Government Relations Department to craft a strong and aggressive grassroots campaign to prevent further proliferation of AI in Ohio courtrooms,” said NCRA Executive Director Dave Wenhold, CAE, PLC.
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- We share your commitment to judicial integrity and look forward to your guidance in navigating these complex issues, ensuring that our legal systems remain robust, fair, and transparent — particularly as they pertain to the advancements in artificial intelligence and the judiciary.
- #NCRAGR alert: Court reporting sole industry with no proposed regulatory changes in Washington State report
- NCRA rolls out NCSA toolkit dedicated to empowering state leaders
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- “The objective of this toolkit is to give state leaders the resources they need to be effective advocates for the court reporting, professional captioning, and legal videography community,” said NCRA Executive Director Dave Wenhold, CAE, PLC.
- #NCRAGR Alert: Tennessee General Assembly subcommittee votes to extend Board of Court Reporting
- Virginia Sen. Mark Warner addresses 2024 NCRA Conference & Expo attendees
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- [Warner] also acknowledged the crucial role court reporters play in the nation’s legal system protecting the integrity of the official record.
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- In the coming weeks, NCRA will be executing a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about the downfalls of implementing AI in Cornhusker courtrooms. This effort will initially include contacting members of the Unicameral, the state’s bar association, various media outlets, and online organizing.
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- “The opportunity for misuse of AI in the creation of courtroom transcripts vis-à-vis deepfakes or other forms of manipulation are simply too high to be implemented in Ohio courtrooms, nonetheless at any level in our nation’s judiciary,” said NCRA President Kristin M. Anderson, MA, RPR, CRI, FCRR. “Care, custody, and control are lost when AI is implemented in a courtroom. That is simply unacceptable as well as unprecedented in terms of ensuring equal justice for all under the law,” she added.
- NCRAGR Alert: CalDRA’s several yearslong efforts culminate in major win for court reporting community
- NCRA Government Relations update regarding ongoing federal lobbying efforts
- NCRA President addresses the use of AI in the courtroom
For more information on how NCRA can assist you in digesting the latest information regarding AI in the record-making process, please contact pr@ncra.org.
The court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. There is currently an increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
About NCRA
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 125 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 12,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership.
Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to be one of the fastest areas of projected employment growth across all occupations. According to 247/WallSt.com, the court reporting profession ranks sixth out of 25 careers with the lowest unemployment rate, just 0.7 percent. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.
