LawtechUK has published a discussion paper aiming to aid the responsible adoption and development of AI in legal services for the benefit of society and the economy. The paper intends to improve the understanding and dialogue between the public and private sectors regarding the use cases, benefits, risks and best practices of responsible use of AI in legal services.

It points out that AI, specifically machine learning, is transforming how law firms and departments operate and businesses and people interact with legal services. From legal diligence and regulatory compliance to the advent of next-generation chatbots, machine learning brings many opportunities to improve outcomes for businesses and society.

LawtechUK says that the legal sector needs to make the most of the opportunities AI presents for positive change, by sharing best practices with each other. Legal businesses, regulators and governments must understand the benefits, risks and barriers to responsible adoption.

Therefore, LawtechUK, together with the Regulatory Response Unit, has released a discussion paper, and is seeking feedback on the following questions:

• How do you assess the risks associated with the ML systems you deploy? Please provide use cases were available.
• What activities does your organisation undertake to assure itself that an ML system is appropriate and, where possible, prevent issues from arising?
• How do requirements around PII impact the adoption or development of ML solutions by your organisation?
• What techniques do you carry out to ensure professional confidentiality is maintained when data associated with client matters are used to build and train ML applications and systems?
• Are there any other issues of concern relating to UK legal service regulation not covered by the discussion paper that are acting as a constraint on ML development and deployment?

The consultation ends on 5 February 2023.