AI Might Be Cheaper—But It’s Gutting the Court Reporting Pipeline

Courtrooms across America are being pitched a slick solution: Replace court reporters with AI. It’s faster. It’s cheaper. It’s “the future.”

But behind the polished sales pitch is a dangerous reality.

This shift toward automation isn’t just about saving a few bucks on transcripts. It’s about dismantling an entire professional ecosystem that underpins accuracy, accountability, and due process in our legal system. If we allow AI to edge out court reporters—even partially—we risk collapsing a pipeline that once lost, cannot be rebuilt.

The Hidden Infrastructure of Court Reporting

When you think of a court reporter, you might imagine someone sitting quietly in a courtroom with a steno machine. But what you don’t see is the complex, interdependent system that makes that presence possible.

This is a pipeline built over decades. It includes:

• Accredited court reporting schools
• Steno machine and software manufacturers
• Certification boards and regulatory bodies
• Professional associations and continuing education programs
• Mentors, instructors, and experts in legal transcription
• Generations of highly trained professionals

This isn’t a workforce you can just “pause.” It’s a system that depends on constant investment, recruitment, and training. And if demand drops—because courts start choosing AI over humans—it all goes dark. Schools shutter. Students stop enrolling. Vendors stop innovating. Experienced professionals leave the field. And eventually, there’s no one left to step in when AI fails.

Once this profession is gutted, there is no backup plan.

Courtrooms Are Not Podcasts

Proponents of AI like to point out its success in transcribing meetings or phone calls. That’s fine for low-stakes environments.

But legal proceedings are a different universe.

Courtrooms involve:

• Multiple speakers talking at once
• Fast, emotional testimony
• Complex legal jargon
• Regional dialects, accents, and unfamiliar names
• Off-the-record conversations, sidebar whispers, interruptions

AI doesn’t know who’s speaking.
AI doesn’t ask for clarification.
AI doesn’t understand legal context.
AI doesn’t certify the record.

Certified court reporters are trained for this. They manage the record in real time. They request repeats. They interrupt for clarity. They produce a legally certified transcript that stands up in appeals, in audits, in history.

AI might be useful. But it can’t replace the responsibility, judgment, and authority that court reporters bring to the courtroom.

A Warning from Business: Don’t Cut Yourself Out of Existence

Years ago, I worked in a competitive sales role. Our competitors began slashing prices to gain market share. Everyone expected us to follow suit. But our CEO stood firm: “Don’t chase them down. Hold the line.”

We did.

Some clients pushed back. “Give me a deal or I’ll go elsewhere,” they said.

I responded honestly: “If you want me here tomorrow—if you want this service, this experience—you need to support us today. Sure, you can get it cheaper. But we won’t be around if we give it all away.”

That logic applies to court reporting now more than ever.

Court reporters aren’t just service providers. We are guardians of the record. And if the system undercuts us to save short-term dollars, there will be nothing left when the tech falls short.

Cut too deep, and you cut us out of existence.

You Can’t Dial Down a Profession and Expect It to Survive

Court reporting isn’t something you can mothball and restart.

If student enrollment drops, schools close.
If courts stop hiring reporters, vendors disappear.
If new reporters don’t enter the field, the old guard retires with no replacements.

By the time courts realize AI can’t handle that fast-paced jury trial or cross-examination with multiple speakers, it’ll be too late. There won’t be anyone left to call.

We’re seeing it already. Programs are closing. Machines are getting harder to source. Skilled reporters are leaving the field due to retirements. And the legal system is becoming more and more vulnerable to inaccurate, uncertified, and uncorrectable transcripts.

This Isn’t Anti-Tech. It’s Pro-Accuracy.

Let’s be clear: Court reporters are not Luddites. We embrace technology. Many of us use high-tech tools like CAT (Computer-Aided Transcription), AI-enhanced editing, and remote deposition software every day.

We’re not resisting innovation—we’re demanding accountability.

AI has a role. It can help support our work, speed up certain processes, and assist with non-critical transcription. But it can’t—and shouldn’t—replace the human oversight required for accurate legal records.

When AI makes an error, who takes responsibility?
When the machine certifies the wrong name, the wrong dollar amount, the wrong verdict—who’s liable?
When someone’s life or liberty is at stake, “close enough” is not good enough.

What Needs to Happen—Now

We still have time to fix this. But we need coordinated action:

🛡️ Policy Reform

Laws must mandate the use of certified court reporters for official court proceedings. Some states already require this—others must follow before it’s too late.

🧠 Education Investment

Fund and promote court reporting schools. Provide scholarships. Bring awareness to the field as a viable, high-skill career path.

📢 Public & Legal Awareness

Educate attorneys, judges, legislators, and court administrators about what’s at stake. AI can’t replace the human eye and ear in high-stakes litigation. The record must be trusted.

⚖️ Responsible AI Use

Use AI to assist court reporters—not erase them. Let AI help with first-pass transcription, indexing, or archival search—not with certifying the record in criminal or civil trials.

If You Want Us Tomorrow, Choose Us Today

This is not about resisting progress. This is about protecting the integrity of the legal record. It’s about upholding due process. It’s about ensuring that justice is accurately preserved.

You can save money today by cutting corners.

But the cost of losing court reporters—the real cost—will come later. When transcripts are wrong. When trials are appealed. When records can’t be verified. When lives are affected.

If you want court reporters tomorrow, you must choose us today.

Because once this pipeline is broken, there’s no rebuilding it.

Disclaimer

The content of this post is intended for informational and discussion purposes only. All opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are based on publicly available information, industry standards, and good-faith concerns about nonprofit governance and professional ethics. No part of this article is intended to defame, accuse, or misrepresent any individual or organization. Readers are encouraged to verify facts independently and to engage constructively in dialogue about leadership, transparency, and accountability in the court reporting profession.

• The content on this blog represents the personal opinions, observations, and commentary of the author. It is intended for editorial and journalistic purposes and is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
• Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Readers are encouraged to review the facts and form independent conclusions.

***To unsubscribe, just smash that UNSUBSCRIBE button below — yes, the one that’s universally glued to the bottom of every newsletter ever created. It’s basically the “Exit” sign of the email world. You can’t miss it. It looks like this (brace yourself for the excitement):