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NLJ this week: Do we really need legislation on AI?

31 January 2025
Issue: 8102 / Categories: Legal News , Artificial intelligence , Technology , Regulatory , Profession
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Artificial intelligence (AI) technology may be developing fast but—contrary to popular opinion—the ’panicked rush to legislation’ to regulate it is not necessary, writes Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation & adjunct professor, IE University Law School, in this week’s NLJ.

McDougall questions the popular belief that AI is in urgent need of more legislation. In this very readable article, he explains why AI may be ‘a fantastic, epoch-making, fourth-Industrial Revolution-making, complicated computer program’ but the bulk of issues it creates are already covered by existing legislation.

Moreover, as he demonstrates, AI is extremely difficult to define. He writes that ‘the real philosophical problem with all of these legislative attempts is that they are trying to regulate for either something that already exists and is covered by existing law, or something that does not exist and may never exist: truly self-aware AI’. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Private client division announces five new partners

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Banking and finance team welcomes partner in London

NEWS
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
Lord Sales has been appointed to become the Deputy President of the Supreme Court after Lord Hodge retires at the end of the year
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
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