Japan Compiles New Guidelines on AI Use in Legal Biz

Tokyo, August 21 - The Japanese Justice Ministry has unveiled new guidelines governing the utilization of artificial intelligence within legal enterprises. The directives aim to delineate the bounds of services that do not constitute unauthorized legal practice. In principle, the employment of AI for tasks such as literature research, document preparation, whistleblowing investigations, business restructuring, and shareholders' meetings should not contravene the attorney's law, provided that the AI algorithm is not specifically engineered for dispute resolution scenarios and lacks features or functions applicable to such scenarios.

Additionally, the guidelines stipulate that preventative measures against improper AI usage must be implemented, which may encompass the creation of inquiry and reporting channels and the supervision of AI services by legal professionals. These guidelines are set to undergo periodic revisions as AI technology continues to evolve.

To further encourage the integration of AI into legal practices, the ministry intends to establish a panel comprising legal and AI experts, judges, lawyers, business representatives, and consumer protection specialists by next March. The objective of this panel is to draft relevant regulations for fiscal year 2027, with implementation potentially commencing as early as fiscal year 2028.