AI and Law: Dr John Zerilli on Adapting Legal Frameworks for the Digital Future

Training Forward: Dr John Zerilli on Reshaping Law for the AI Era

Dr John Zerilli, a Senior Lecturer in Digital Law at The Dickson Poon School of Law, shares his insights on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) intersects with legal frameworks and practice. As AI technologies advance, adapting existing laws and legal education becomes essential to meet new challenges and opportunities.

Joining The Dickson Poon School of Law

Located in the heart of legal London, the School offers direct access to courts, firms, and chambers, providing a fertile environment for legal scholarship. The broader university’s dedication to AI and digital transformation adds significant appeal. Leadership enthusiasm, especially from Executive Dean Dan Hunter, helped solidify Dr Zerilli’s decision to join.

Research Focus: AI and Law

Dr Zerilli emphasizes that most current and foreseeable tech developments are already covered by existing common law and legislation. Rather than rushing to create new laws, the focus should be on clarifying and improving the effectiveness of current legal frameworks. For instance, while laws addressing liability for rogue Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) are necessary, they largely build on established principles.

Where new standards are introduced, they aim to ensure that technological advancements respect existing rights, not to create entirely new legal territories.

Addressing Emerging Legal Issues

Dr Zerilli’s work explores how traditional tort law can address challenges like deepfakes and online disinformation. He also examines platform governance, considering how procedural fairness—usually a government standard—might apply to private tech companies. Ensuring AI use in government upholds procedural fairness remains a key concern.

The Role of AI in Legal Practice

AI is set to change legal practice significantly. While legal professionals will remain essential for courtroom advocacy and specialized tasks, the overall size of the profession may decrease to match actual demand. Law degrees will increasingly prepare graduates as specialists within the humanities, with their skills adapted to new professional realities.

Key Legal Challenges Posed by AI

One pressing issue is negotiating fair compensation for creators whose work trains large language models (LLMs). Balancing the benefits of AI technology for society against individual rights to remuneration is critical. This debate may prompt a re-examination of copyright law’s ethical and commercial foundations in light of AI’s impact.

Advice for Law Students

Dr Zerilli strongly encourages law students to integrate AI tools into their studies and exams. Technology has long influenced legal work, but the current shift—much like the impact of digital communication 25 years ago—is more profound. Legal tasks will evolve, requiring new skills and approaches. For example, outdated topics like cheque law are being phased out as the legal environment modernizes.

Looking Ahead: AI’s Future in Law

The goal is to make legal knowledge accessible and straightforward. People should be able to understand their rights without always needing a lawyer. Legal support should be reserved for when disputes cannot be resolved independently.

The Digital Law LLM

The program’s motto is "training forward." It focuses on equipping today’s lawyers with the knowledge and skills they will need in 10 to 20 years. This forward-looking approach prepares legal professionals for ongoing changes driven by AI and technology.

Dr Zerilli and his colleagues are contributing to significant shifts in how law interacts with AI and technology, ensuring the legal profession remains responsive to new demands.