AI has graduated from a much-hyped concept to an everyday tool, already having a significant impact on law firm activity and workflows. While the field is still novel enough to lack a fully fledged legal discipline of its own, we are beginning to see some experts emerge.
The UK does not yet have a comprehensive, singular regulatory framework for AI. This is also true of the USA, although existing federal initiatives and state-level regulations are multiplying and gaining traction. The EU AI Act, which established a unified, risk-based regulatory framework has already begun phased implementation as of 2025. The UK government is working on a comprehensive AI bill to address copyright, safety and civil liberties. For the time being, laws on data protection (GDPR), copyright, competition and human rights apply, however imperfectly.
The UK’s lack of AI regulation naturally limits the extent to which we can speak of AI law expertise in this country. Most of the AI-related work we’re seeing is advisory. One exception came in June this year when Getty Images v Stability AI reached the High Court. The case raises questions of copyright, database rights, trademark law and whether AI models trained on protected IP constitutes infringement. At time of launch, we await a ruling.
