NUJS Law Review: Regulating The Ethics of the Unknown

The emergence of artificial intelligence has disrupted almost every industry in the modern world. Experts have no doubt that AI is set to take the legal services industry by storm as well, a field that is otherwise notorious for its reluctance towards embracing technology. AI-based legal technologies are being increasingly used in technology assisted review and other applications. The use of AI also poses questions relating to the ethical duties of lawyers. Are regulators around the world equipped to adequately monitor AI-based legal technologies? Do lawyers even have an ethical duty to use such AI-based legal technologies? Are the rules and the regulatory framework set-up by the United States of America and England that deal with AI in law, adequate?

The adoption of AI in the provision of legal services is not a one-way street. It is not only lawyers and law firms that are pushing for AI in the legal field. In fact, client demand is driving AI adoption by bigger law firms.