Artificial Intelligence (AI) has quickly become a transformative force in the workplace, revolutionising industries from healthcare and finance to manufacturing and marketing. With its ability to process data at scale, automate repetitive tasks, and support decision-making, AI is undoubtedly a powerful tool for improving efficiency and driving innovation. However, as organisations rush to adopt these technologies, it’s crucial to recognise and address the associated risks. In a professional setting, the dangers of AI can manifest in subtle yet significant ways, impacting not only business outcomes but also ethical standards, employee wellbeing, and organisational trust.
Some people have argued that AI is so advanced that it could be used to carry out the functions of a solicitor. For instance, if a solicitor was tasked with writing a blog post on the dangers of AI, could AI itself be used to write such a blog post? I tested this by entering the question around dangers of AI in a professional setting into ChatGPT. The first paragraph of this blog post is written entirely by the opening to that answer. Did you notice?
Whilst AI is becoming an ever present tool used in the legal market to assist law firms, and the benefits of this are readily apparent, the legal world has not yet struck a balance between assistance and over-reliance. The State of California Bar recently put out a press release on the recommendation of adjusting test scores – and an admission that some of the exam’s multiple choice questions had been written partly by AI (it is reported that those taking the exam complained about irregularities and technical problems). There are a number of reported instances of lawyers being caught out using AI to write their case submissions – on account of AI having made up fake cases as part of the legal pleadings.
AI is a tool that can be used for helping teams in efficiency, process and research – meaning that lawyers can focus their attention more on providing services to clients. AI is not (yet!) in any position to replace the importance of the human connection. The same can be said across multiple sectors, including in the education sector, where institutions face challenges on two fronts – the use of AI by the organisation to improve the quality of services to students; and ensuring that students do not use AI to replace their own learning.
Ultimately, as the beginning of this blog might hopefully demonstrate, it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate between genuine work and the work of an artificial intelligence system, but when relying on this in a professional setting, the risks of it going wrong are too great – because AI is capable of providing false information, which can be easily caught out when tested. All organisations, including law firms, will require to find a balance between moving into the future with AI as an effective tool, and maintaining transparency and standards of work, whilst continuing to provide effective customer service.
Organisations’ risk management and contractual processes need to catch up with technology, alongside legislative changes, in order to appropriately manage risk and be transparent with clients and customers. Using AI in the workplace may impact on our intellectual property rights, privacy concerns, and exposure to liability. Any use of AI, whether by a lawyer, lecturer, or finance expert, requires to be compliant with existing legislation, with an eye to compliance and transparency for the future.
If you are an organisation grappling with your responsibilities in use of AI, or wish to have a discussion about your organisation’s risk management and contractual processes in relation to your use of AI, please contact our Intellectual Property and Data Protection Team.
