AI is no longer a future debate – it is a present-day reality

Laura Crowe, Senior Associate

Following the latest Question Time discussion, and the subsequent reaction, the conversation has clearly shifted.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform business and society.
It is how quickly organisations, regulators and institutions can adapt.

The potential benefits are well understood:

• Increased productivity
• Reduced operational costs
• Accelerated innovation
• Transformation across sectors, from healthcare to professional services

For the UK, there is also a genuine opportunity to position itself as a leader in responsible AI adoption.

However, alongside this optimism sit more complex challenges.

• How do we maintain trust in an environment where AI can generate convincing misinformation? To demonstrate this point last night’s show started with a very realistic looking AI generated panel of historical figures.
• How can regulation keep pace with technology that evolves at speed?
• How should businesses balance pressure to adopt AI against associated legal, ethical and reputational risks?

From a commercial and legal perspective, these questions are already materialising

AI is reshaping how legal and procurement functions operate:

• Streamlined drafting and review processes
• Faster delivery for clients
• Greater operational efficiency

But this introduces new considerations:

• Where does liability sit if AI-generated outputs are inaccurate or infringe rights?
• How should organisations manage confidentiality and data protection when using third-party AI tools?
• Will AI-related provisions (use, ownership, liability) become standard in commercial contracts?

There is also a shift in the role of professional judgement

As more routine work becomes automated, the value of human input becomes more pronounced in areas such as:

• Interpreting commercial context
• Negotiating nuance
• Assessing risk
• Balancing legal, ethical and reputational considerations

More broadly, AI is highlighting how interconnected legal, commercial and societal risks have become.

The UK’s relatively flexible, pro-innovation regulatory approach may encourage investment and growth, but it also creates a period of uncertainty as standards and frameworks continue to evolve.

And of course, these challenges are inherently global. Issues such as data use, intellectual property and misinformation do not respect national boundaries, making purely domestic solutions insufficient.

Ultimately, this is no longer just a technology discussion

It is equally a governance, legal, workforce and societal discussion.

The transformation AI brings is already underway.

The more important question is whether we can harness its benefits while preserving trust, accountability and human judgement.