Innovation And Ethics Are Key For AI In Law, Says Cyril Shroff At JGU Public Lecture
"Our national identity and constitutional values must remain at the centre of leadership and legacy," said Mr. Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Chairperson, Cyril Shroff Centre for AI, Law and Regulation, at a Distinguished Public Lecture at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU).
He framed India's legal future around self-reliance, constitutional discipline, and practical adoption of technology-with ethics as the guardrail. The message to the profession was clear: build modern legal systems without losing first principles.
Constitutional Institutions Still Anchor a Free Society
Mr. Shroff cautioned against the global decline in respect for constitutional institutions and international law, and reminded the audience of India's core strengths. "India is a true democracy. While imperfections may exist, it is a democracy that works. Our courts function, our institutions endure, and we remain a free society because of them."
He linked India's global standing to the strength of its domestic institutions. "While the Constitution may be 77 years old, India is a 2,000-year-old civilisation built on enduring values. Despite centuries of foreign invasions, our national identity has remained intact."
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Rule of Law, Economic Resilience, and Tech Sovereignty
Calling the Constitution "one of the finest in the world," he recalled Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's view that it is "a way of life." He noted that political freedom came in 1947, but economic freedom arrived in 1991-requiring continued protection of two pillars: the rule of law and resilience through economic strength.
Technology and sovereignty were central to his argument. These priorities informed the creation of the Cyril Shroff Centre for AI, Law and Regulation-positioned to address AI's legal, regulatory, and ethical demands at scale.
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AI In Legal Practice: Innovation With Guardrails
"AI is now being used as a tool that is transforming how law firms work," he said. New legislation and shifting commercial realities demand constant innovation, but he warned against adopting tools without a clear ethical framework.
He posed two questions that legal teams should operationalize: "Can technology help resolve disputes faster? Can we separate administrative inefficiencies from the justice delivery system?" The aim is faster, fairer outcomes-without eroding professional standards.
Closing the Innovation Gap
India's innovation gap, he argued, stems from weak alignment between academia, private sector, and the state. The Cyril Shroff Centre seeks to bridge that gap through structured engagement across law, technology, and regulation.
Reflections from JGU Leadership
Ms. Paridhi Adani, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, outlined the vision behind the Centre and the value of deep collaborations at the intersection of law and technology. Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, described Mr. Shroff as a transformative figure and noted the Centre's strong growth within six months of launch.
The lecture also featured introductory remarks by Prof. Padmanabha Ramanujam and an introduction to the Centre by Professor Sidharth Chauhan.
Modernisation and Gender Equity
Mr. Shroff called for greater gender balance and shared that more than two-thirds of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas' employees are women, with strong leadership representation. He encouraged young lawyers to modernise and break dated structures to serve a developed India by 2047.
What Legal Teams Can Do Now
- Adopt AI with intent: define use-cases (research, contract review, discovery triage) and measure outcomes against time, cost, and quality.
- Set ethical rules: confidentiality by default, documented human oversight, clear client disclosure when AI is used, and audit trails for all outputs.
- Build internal playbooks: model prompts, precedent libraries, and red-teaming protocols to catch hallucinations and bias.
- Train your people: baseline AI literacy for all fee-earners and staff; advanced workflows for litigation, corporate, and compliance teams.
- Strengthen data governance: client consent, data minimisation, access controls, and jurisdiction-aware vendor selection.
- Focus on value: aim AI at bottlenecks-hearing prep, diligence sampling, timeline builds, and billing hygiene-then iterate.
- Engage institutions: partner with universities and policy bodies to test frameworks and contribute to standards.
Key Takeaways From The Lecture
- The interface between AI, law, and regulation is moving fast; ethics must guide adoption.
- The Cyril Shroff Centre is positioned to influence global discourse on AI governance from an Indian perspective.
- Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to address ethical, legal, and societal questions raised by AI.
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If your firm is formalising AI adoption and training, explore structured learning paths for legal teams and adjacent roles here: AI courses by job.
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