Manchester Metropolitan University and Citizens Advice SORT Group KTP 24_25 R4

Citizens Advice is getting an AI co-pilot to help its advisers handle complex legal queries more quickly and consistently. The project embeds a team from Manchester Metropolitan University inside Citizens Advice to build and commercialise “Caddy 2.0”, an AI system that keeps a human adviser in the loop rather than automating decisions. The core problem is that advice services face rising demand but limited capacity, and existing digital tools lack the strategic sophistication to triage cases, surface relevant legal information, or learn from past outcomes. Without better technology, advisers spend too much time on routine searches and too little on the nuanced judgement calls that only people can make. If successful, Caddy 2.0 will become a productised platform for the entire advice and legal sector—not just Citizens Advice. That could mean faster case handling, more consistent advice across different offices, and lower operational costs for charities and legal-aid providers. The public rarely thinks about the back-office systems that keep advice services running, but when those systems are slow or inconsistent, vulnerable people wait longer for help or receive poorer guidance. This project aims to change that by giving advisers a smarter tool, not replacing them.