How failure to identify AI risks can lead to unexpected legal liability [Q&A]
Use of generative AI is becoming more common, but this comes with a multitude of inherent risks, security and data privacy being the most immediate. Managing these risks may seem daunting, however, there is a path to navigate through them, but first you have to identify what they are.
We talked to Robert W. Taylor, Of Counsel with Carstens, Allen & Gourley, LLP to discuss how a failure to identify all the relevant risks can leave businesses open to to unexpected legal liabilities.
The impact of AI in the legal sector [Q&A]
AI is changing many industries. In the legal sector it's altering how businesses operate, automating routine tasks and boosting productivity for lawyers.
We spoke to Alon Shwartz, COO and co-founder of Trellis AI, to find out more about AI’s transformative effect on the legal world.
Would you trust a robot lawyer?
A new survey for Robin AI reveals that while nearly one in three people would be open to letting a robot lawyer represent them in court, the vast majority would only do so if a human lawyer was overseeing the process.
The research carried out by Perspectus Global polled a sample of 4,152 people across the US and UK and finds that on average, respondents say they would need a 57 percent discount to choose an AI lawyer over a human.
TikTok, AliExpress, Temu and more hit with GDPR complaints over unlawful data transfers to China
Austria-based data protection and privacy advocating NGO noyb (none of your business) has filed a series of complaints against AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, TikTok, WeChat, and Xiaomi for violating European general data protection regulation (GDPR).
The six firms stand accused of unlawfully transferring user data to China. In its complaints, noyb says that “given that China is an authoritarian surveillance state, companies can’t realistically shield EU users’ data from access by the Chinese government”.
Apple faces a £1.5bn anti-competition class action lawsuit in the UK
Apple finds itself starting a new legal battle today, this time in the UK. A class action lawsuit alleges that the iPhone maker has abused its position to overcharge App Store customers.
A second prong of the lawsuit alleges that the 30 percent commission fee Apple charges app developers runs counter to both UK and European competition laws. The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal will be looking into the claims and passing judgement.
Europe's move toward cybersecurity sovereignty [Q&A]
Governments around the world are increasingly legislating for cybersecurity and privacy. But regions often have differing views on how this should be achieved.
We spoke to Christian Have, CTO of Logpoint, to get insight into how US surveillance laws could serve as a catalyst for Europe to take greater control over its data, pushing forward the concept of digital sovereignty.
New investment, state legislation and more penalties -- privacy predictions for 2025
As both businesses and individuals become more reliant on connectivity and data so concerns around privacy are increasingly to the fore.
Here are the views of some industry experts on what the privacy landscape may look like in 2025.
70 percent of cybersecurity leaders worry about personal liability
Stories of CISOs being held personally liable for cybersecurity incidents has negatively affected their opinion of the role for 70 percent of respondents to a new survey.
At the same time 34 percent in the study for BlackFog, of 400 IT decision makers across the US and UK, believe that the trend of individuals being prosecuted following a cyberattack was a 'no-win' situation for security leaders: facing internal consequences if they report failings and prosecuted if they don't.
Microsoft faces massive class action payouts in cloud computing pricing case
Microsoft could be hit with over £1 billion ($1.27 billion) in charges if a huge class action case brought against the firm by UK businesses succeeds.
The case centers around Windows Server, with Microsoft being accused of overcharging customers for the software. The licensing terms of the associated Azure, the lawsuit says, mean that users are channelled towards using Microsoft’s cloud offering because it pushes up the prices of services from rivals like Google and Amazon.
Australia passes social media ban for under 16s
After a period of intense public and political debate, Australia has approved laws that will ban anyone under the age of 16 from using social media.
While the laws were passed yesterday, it may well be a year until they come into effect -- and they will be the strictest in the world. Once in force, tech companies such as Meta could be hit with fines of up to AUS$50 million (US $32.5 million) for failing to comply.
European Commission says Bluesky is breaking European rules
Social media darling Bluesky is wooing users and drawing many away from X. But while the platform is enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity, the European Commission is unimpressed with its failure to disclose information.
The commission points out that all social media platforms operating within the European Union must clearly publish key pieces of information, including how many EU users there are. Bluesky does not do this, nor reveal where the company is legally established.
Overcoming the skills gap with robust, easy-to-use AI
When it comes to adopting new technologies, the legal sector has traditionally been more cautious than other industries. However, AI’s potential to transform legal workflows and unlock new levels of productivity is difficult to ignore. In fact, the industry is moving at speed: a recent study shows almost three quarters (73 percent) of legal practitioners plan to utilize AI in their legal work within the next year.
On a practical level, AI is evolving so quickly that across many practices, employees have varying levels of knowledge and understanding of how AI works, what tasks they should be using it for and the legal implications of using it. At the same time, if firms introduce AI solutions that require deep technical knowledge to use, skills gaps could become increasingly problematic.
Is AI a double-edged sword for lawyers?
The legal industry is not traditionally recognized as one that is quick to embrace change, but recently, some professionals have been embracing emerging technology maybe a little too quickly, leading to all kinds of problems. The use of generative AI tools has exploded in popularity since OpenAI’s ChatGPT debuted in late 2022, and some lawyers have turned to this generative AI (GenAI) technology to help them with everything from legal research to contract drafting.
However, these GenAI models aren’t foolproof. In fact, they’re likely to “hallucinate” information that seems accurate but is actually entirely made up. If lawyers using this tech don’t take the time to double-check their outputs, they run the risk of working with factually incorrect information, which is embarrassing at best and grounds for legal repercussions at worst.
Compliance with NIS2 comes at a cost
With the EU's NIS2 directive now starting to roll out, aiming to achieve a high level of cybersecurity across member states, a new survey commissioned by Veeam shows the significant impact implementation is having on businesses.
The study, carried out by Censuswide, reveals that while 68 percent of companies report receiving the necessary additional budget for NIS2 compliance, 20 percent identify budget as being a significant barrier to achieving compliance.
NIS2 could prevent cybersecurity incidents but many businesses aren't ready
The EU's latest Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) comes into effect on October 18, but new research finds that although nearly 80 percent of businesses are confident in their ability to eventually comply with NIS2 guidelines, up to two-thirds say they will miss this imminent deadline.
The survey from Veeam Software, of over 500 IT decision-makers from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, shows 90 percent of respondents reporting at least one security incident that the NIS2 directive could have prevented in the past 12 months.
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