In a noteworthy development, an MIT task force specifically designed to develop guidelines and principles on Generative AI’s responsible use for law and legal systems has released preliminary versions of seven principles. These principles aim to ensure factual accuracy, ensure valid legal reasoning, align with professional ethics and diligently use AI responsibly in the legal context, as reported by LegalTech News. More details regarding this task force can be found directly from MIT here.
In similar news, some Am Law 200 firms have adopted a slow and steady approach towards implementing AI, initiating with email drafting and aiming to incorporate AI within the wider legal operation down the line. This careful transition was illustrated by Kate Orr, Global Head of Practice Innovation at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, through her comparison of the process as not leaping “from a flip phone to an iPhone 14”. More about this was reported by The American Lawyer.
Richard Lewis, the President of the New York State Bar Association, provides insight into the organization’s AI task force’s future aspirations for AI’s role in legal work in his interview with Bloomberg Law. He highlights that although navigating the AI universe can be challenging, it can potentially initiate substantial improvements in the legal profession if handled responsibly.
On the legislative front, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) expressed to Politico that Congress is unlikely to pass any new AI laws in the near future. Instead, he proposes equipping federal agencies with better resources to manage AI-associated issues using existing laws. This viewpoint emerges from Young’s experience as part of a bipartisan group formed by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), aiming to address threats generated by AI.
Lastly, the New York Times recently published an insightful piece on ongoing legal battles involving AI disseminating false information about individuals, indicating that this arena is heating up. Read more about it here.
AI-related intellectual property disputes have surfaced internationally as well, with the BBC reporting on several artists and illustrators in Britain instigating a lawsuit against DeviantArt and Stability AI’s parent company, Midjourney. More about these emerging litigations can be found here.
This article was initially published on Above the Law.