More than two thirds of lawyers say that professional bodies such as the Law Society should take responsibility for regulating the use of artificial intelligence in law - though 18% say that the government should have a role too. The findings emerge from the 2024 Future of Professionals report by legal information giant Thomson Reuters, published today.
According to the report, 59% of UK lawyers surveyed said that AI tools should be certified to show they meet professional standards; 42% said regulators should specifically audit the algorithms used by legal AI systems.
Kriti Sharma, chief product officer for legal tech at Thomson Reuters, said the findings show that lawyers recognise the need for guardrails to help them harness AI technology in an ethical and safe way. 'While many firms are putting their own guardrails in place now, they recognise that further safeguards could help establish broad accountability in the AI ecosystem needed to drive further AI adoption,' Sharma said.
The research also found that 40% of UK lawyers think that encouraging whistleblowing reports about the misuse of AI within law firms or the broader legal system is important for enforcing responsible use of AI in law.
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