Events and News

23Mar23

IE Law School and ECIJA launch the first report on the impact of AI in the legal sector

Experts from companies such as Amazon, Telefónica, or Vodafone participated in the event organized by the IE – ECIJA Digital Law Observatory.

“At the presentation of the report on Artificial Intelligence by the IE – ECIJA Digital Law Observatory on March 9th at the Paper Pavilion of IE University, Alex Touriño, Managing Partner at ECIJA, pointed out, ‘Either we adapt and acquire the necessary skills, or the mantra that technology will replace lawyers will become a reality. Those who do not have the competence to navigate the new ecosystem will be replaced.'”

The Observatory aims to delve into and research the various legal dimensions and implications arising from the digital economy to become a space for legal and academic research and dissemination of the new legal framework.

The event featured a panel discussion (comprised of Ana Buitrago, Legal Director of Amazon Spain and Italy; Antonio Muñoz, Data Protection Technical Director, Global DPO Office at Telefónica; Elena Otero-Novas, Director of Legal, Regulation, and Corporate Security at Vodafone Spain; moderated by Rafif Srour, Vice Dean of IE School of Science and Technology), which revolved around the topics addressed in the report – the result of a previous focus group – such as the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), the prevention of its risks, or its current use in organizations.

During the event, it was pointed out how new technology is always associated with risks, and therefore, AI poses some risks such as the replacement of human will or a visible manipulation of that will by providing incorrect or biased information.

“The biases of AI are dangerous when they are contrary to Human Rights.” Ana Buitrago, Legal Director of Amazon Spain and Italy

In response to Rafif Srour’s question, Vice Dean of IE School of Science and Technology, about the role of ethics in the world of AI, for Elena Otero-Novas, Director of Legal, Regulation, and Corporate Security at Vodafone Spain, “when we talk about unacceptable activities due to a violation of Human Rights, we are talking about law and ethics, as they go hand in hand.”

Regarding the aspect of AI responsibility and the diffuse ownership of the tool itself, Antonio Muñoz, Data Protection Technical Director, Global DPO Office at Telefónica, emphasized that “the ecosystem and value chain of AI are really complicated. It is important to understand that there is more than one element that will introduce risk when generating harm.” On the other hand, for Novas, “it is essential to have human supervision or certification of certain systems.”

The speakers also discussed the relevance of GPT chat in the legal sector, highlighting how interaction with a trustworthy machine can help reduce tasks. However, Muñoz pointed out that “the conversational element of GPT Chat makes it more approachable, producing a trust that may imply risks.”

Regarding its application in the educational sector, Srour stated that “AI is an opportunity to rethink our educational strategy and an opportunity to promote critical thinking.”