Unlocking the potential of AI for English Law : Launch Conference: 18-19 March, 2019

Available slides to accompany the webcast are available here

Launch Conference 18-19 March 2019

On 18-19 March, we will be holding a launch conference in Oxford for our new research programme, Unlocking the Potential of AI for English Law, which is funded by UK Research & Innovation. The research will explore the potential and limitations of using artificial intelligence (AI) in support of legal services. AI's capabilities have made enormous recent leaps; many expect it to transform how the economy operates. In particular, activities relying on human knowledge to create value, insulated until now from mechanisation, are facing dramatic change. Amongst these are professional services, such as law. The research will involve a mix of disciplinary inputs, reflecting the multi-faceted nature of the problem: Law, Computer Science, Economics, Education, Management and Political Economy. Working closely with private-sector partners will ensure our research benefits from insights into, and testing against, real requirements.

The conference will draw attention to, and foster dialogue about, the project’s research questions and cognate issues. We will begin on the first day with a discussion about the technical possibilities for AI. We will then consider the current applications of AI in legal services generally, before examining the specific context of dispute resolution, and the relationship between ethics and AI. On the second day of the conference, proceedings will begin with a keynote address by Lord Keen of Elie QC, Advocate General for Scotland and Lords Minister for the Ministry of Justice. The day’s panels will then investigate the challenges AI poses for substantive law, as well as the educational and training needs that it generates —with perspectives from both practice and higher education. The conference programme is available here. Attendance is by invitation only; please contact admin.ai@law.ox.ac.uk if you would like further information. We will be live streaming the conference proceedings, which you can follow on 18-19 March by visiting this link. We will also make available a summary of the proceedings after the event.

The project is funded within the Next Generation Services programme by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. 

The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund brings together the UK’s world-leading research with business to meet the major industrial and societal challenges of our time. It provides funding and support to UK businesses and researchers, part of the government’s £4.7 billion increase in research and development over the next 4 years. It plays a central role in the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy. It is run by UK Research and Innovation, which comprises the Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England. UK Research and Innovation is a new organisation that brings together the UK Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England into a single organisation to create the best environment for research and innovation to flourish. The vision is to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.