The intersection of artificial intelligence and law is a rapidly evolving field with several emerging research topics. One area of interest is the use of predictive AI in the legal profession. Predictive AI uses machine learning algorithms to analyze large datasets and make predictions about the outcome of legal cases. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the practice of law by allowing lawyers to make more informed decisions and providing clients with more accurate predictions about the likely outcome of their cases. However, the use of predictive AI also raises ethical and regulatory questions, such as the duty of lawyers to be well-versed in the benefits and challenges of AI and the need for legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure that the risks associated with AI are anticipated and accounted for.
Another area of research is the use of generative AI in the legal profession. Generative AI uses machine learning algorithms to generate human-like text, such as legal documents or arguments. This technology has the potential to significantly accelerate specific tasks, such as idea generation and improving the quality of legal documents. However, it is less effective in more complex problem-solving tasks. The use of generative AI also raises ethical and professionalism questions, such as the duty of lawyers to ensure that AI-generated text is accurate, complete, and free from bias. Additionally, as generative AI becomes more sophisticated, it has the potential to disrupt longstanding regimes of civil liability and outpace existing legal and regulatory frameworks. Researchers are working to design social, explainable, responsible AI that is aligned with human values and to develop new solutions, argumentation schemes, and norms, rules, and cases interpretation. AI-powered legal research is also a growing area of interest, as it has the potential to generate answers in real-time, reflecting current law across jurisdictions and allowing researchers to get answers to a far broader array of questions than what could be anticipated with human power alone. AI-assisted research uses a large language model (LLM) that analyzes trusted content to generate answers. This technology has the potential to greatly increase the efficiency and accuracy of legal research. However, it also raises questions about the reliability and accuracy of AI-generated answers and the need for human oversight.