Stephen Midgley

After discovering that his mother was trapped in an abusive relationship while battling stage 4 cancer, Stephen did what any of us would hope to do — he called the police. 
There was no help. The case was closed. No investigation. No safeguarding.
Stephen quickly realised the legal system was not built for people in crisis. It was built for process. But cancer doesn’t wait for paperwork. Abuse doesn’t pause for bureaucracy.
So he turned to something else: AI.

Stephen used AI tools to navigate the complexity of legal documents, police standards and processes, uncovering multiple failures of the system. Armed with these findings, he tried again — and this time, they listened. The case was re-opened.

Now, Stephen is building tools so that others don’t have to go through what his mother did. Tools that let victims understand their rights, safely collect evidence, and push for justice.

In this talk, Stephen will explore how AI can make justice more accessible — not just to the privileged, but to everyone. He’ll share the real challenges domestic abuse victims face when trying to get help. He’ll talk about the barriers to making these tools public. And he’ll ask the question: What would a world look like if AI truly worked for everyone — especially those society has failed the most?