The Law Society of England and Wales comments on the UK
government's announcements about the advisory AI Growth
Lab, the AI adoption
plan and the AI Economics
Institute to support responsible AI adoption in legal
services.
Ian Jeffery, CEO of the Law Society of England and Wales said:
The Law Society of England and
Wales welcomes the government's recommendations
following the publication of the AI Adoption Plan
for Professional and Business Services and
the launch of a new advisory AI
Growth Lab.
The AI Growth Lab has the potential
to boost innovation by
allowing legal service providers to safely
test AI tools against the profession's
current robust legal standards.
Contributing around £60 billion annually to the UK economy
and more than £9 billion in exports, the legal
sector is already at the forefront of economic growth
and artificial intelligence use. Lawyers push innovation
forward not only by using AI in their daily
work but also by helping technology companies build
better products.
The legal profession requires clear
guidance on how the existing regulatory
framework, particularly relating to data security,
oversight, reserved legal activities and professional
responsibility, can
be maintained as AI integration
grows. The AI Growth Lab can be an
opportunity to
innovate but also offer more clarity
over the regulatory environment.
The AI Adoption Plan highlights that successful AI
take-up can only happen when people are empowered with
the right skills and barriers are removed
for smaller businesses. We look forward to working
with the government to overcome these hurdles. There must
be equitable access to the benefits of AI.
The Law Society also welcomes the establishment of the
AI Economics Institute and its focus on understanding the impact
of AI on jobs, including the legal sector. The
priority should be to
upskill professionals and incorporate new
roles, ensuring technological development goes
hand in hand with people development.
