Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce regulations to help legal professionals, including those working in both in-house legal teams and law firms, adapt to the influence of generative artificial intelligence in the legal profession.

In March, the Office for Artificial Intelligence (OAI) published a white paper which set out a principles based, pro-innovation approach to regulating AI. This would be delivered through the UK’s established regulators operating in their existing remits and sectors. The OAI have been working with expert stakeholders to develop guidance for businesses on the types of skills and knowledge that non-technical employees need to use to interact with AI. The guidance, which will be published later this year, will enable employers to identify skills gaps and training needs within their business. This will then be developed into a detailed framework for training providers to design courses meeting such business needs.

Legal Services regulation is independent of Government and overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is working closely with the OAI and LSB to support legal regulators to implement the proposed approach. The MoJ sees the adoption of technology in the delivery of legal services as vital to the continuing success of our world-renowned legal sector. We support the growth of the lawtech sector through the LawtechUK programme, in which we are investing £3 million from April 2023 – 2025.