Every business seems to be exploring how it can integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools into its technology portfolio. However, there are some sectors, such as law, where using AI tools needs to be carefully considered.
This is because there are strict rules around compliance to protect client data and privacy within the legal sector in the UK. In fact, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) already provides guidance around IT compliance and cyber security for the country’s legal firms.
With the rapid rise of AI in our workplaces, the SRA has suggested that law firms that want to take advantage of this wave of technology should follow the UK government’s guidance on how to adopt AI in the public sector, because this meets high ethical standards.
What steps should law firms take before adopting AI tools?
The government’s guidance for adopting AI tools in the public sector provides ten specific considerations. These are a good starting point for any law firm planning to introduce AI tools into its workflows.
While not all of these will be relevant to small law firms in the UK, they provide a valuable starting point from which to work.
Among the most relevant points for law firms to consider are:
- Conduct a data assessment before starting procurement
- Assess the benefits and risks of adopting AI
- Focus on the challenge you are trying to solve, not the solution
- Create appropriate oversight mechanisms
- Evaluate the technical and ethical limitations of AI
1. Conduct a data assessment before starting procurement
This is vital because any AI tool is only as good as the data on which it is based. Within the legal world, you may need to explore closed AI tools to ensure data privacy, which means the data you provide will be even more crucial.
If you discover that you have incomplete data, or low-quality data, on which to base the use of your AI tool, you are better off focusing on improving the quality of your data set rather than pushing ahead with AI adoption.
2. Assess the benefits and risks of adopting AI
As with all parts of life, AI is not all “bad” or “good”. Being honest about both the benefits of introducing AI tools and the risks associated with them will help your firm make more informed choices.
It can be helpful to work with your team to create a list of all the benefits and risks of adopting AI into your workflows. Get everyone to share their thoughts initially and then take the time to research which ones are genuine benefits and which are genuine risks.
You could even bring in the team that provides IT support for your legal firm to get their perspective on adding AI into your technology mix.
This is also a good opportunity to check whether an AI tool is in fact the best solution for the problem or challenge you are trying to solve, which brings us to the next point.
3. Focus on the challenge you are trying to solve, not the solution
Rather than adopting AI tools because “everyone is”, think about the challenge you hope to solve by using AI. Is this a problem that you can’t overcome in any other way? Or do you have existing technology that could help if used differently?
It can be very easy to jump to the solutions to our perceived challenges without fully evaluating them. This step asks you to consider what the real challenge is so that you can find the most effective way of solving it – with or without AI.
4. Create appropriate oversight mechanisms
Should you decide that an AI tool is the most appropriate option for your law firm, it is essential that you have robust oversight in place.
The Law Society has a comprehensive guide to the kind of governance, monitoring and controls that need to be in place when you adopt AI tools into your legal firm.
Broadly, however, this guidance covers areas including:
- Governance structures and controls
- Record keeping
- Risk management
- Staff training
- Supervision
5. Evaluate the technical and ethical limitations of AI
This is, again, where you might want to seek advice from the IT team that already provides technology support to your law firm.
AI is not a piece of technology that can “fix” every problem and it has its limitations in terms of its capabilities and its ethics. It’s therefore important to make sure that the AI technology is able to achieve what you need it to.
You should also consider how this new tool will integrate with your existing systems. Your IT team will be able to help you understand this process, including how much work it will be to get set up initially.
It is advisable to examine the ethics of the AI technology company you are considering buying from, to ensure they meet with your standards, and those of the broader legal community.