Making a legal impact by addressing the AI literacy gap

The Open Justice Centre’s ‘AI, Law and Legal Training’ collaborative project has been recognised in the Digital Leaders’ AI Impact Awards.

Project lead Dr Francine Ryan, Centre Director and Senior Lecturer in Law, is shown picking up the award in the ‘AI for Ethics, Trust and Governance’ category from Andrew Morris (VP Product and Development, aql). This was at an invitation-only conference and awards ceremony in Shoreditch, London, on the afternoon of Thursday 19 March. During AI Public Sector Week, the finalists and guests mixed with senior level entrepreneurs, investors, academics and journalists as part of a growing UK-wide AI for Good Network.

The Law School-based Centre’s collaborative project with Citizens Advice and the University of Lincoln to upskill the legal and advice sectors was supported by three major law firms – Browne Jacobson, Fieldfisher and Mishcon de Reya.

Dr Ryan said: “I had to submit a video before a panel of judges scored all the projects to make the final decision. We were thrilled to have been shortlisted in the first place and ecstatic to have won against such prestigious company.

“We have received some fantastic feedback for the eight courses (around 20 hours’ learning) which were funded as part of this UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Responsible AI research project. These courses are designed for members of the public, volunteers, advisers and managers in charities and free advice organisations, legal professionals and law students. Without education and training, we risk deepening structural inequality as voluntary organisations and small firms struggle to benefit from AI.” 

The eight free courses hosted on OpenLearn Create, co-created in three workshops with stakeholders from the legal and advice sectors, explain Generative AI (GenAI), its applications, implications and ethical use in legal contexts.

There could be a further accolade with the Centre also shortlisted in the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. These are to recognise and celebrate the outstanding pro bono work undertaken by law schools and law students across the UK.

This is in the ‘Best contribution by a team of students’ category for the Knife Crime Prevention Policy Law Clinic with the Josh Hanson Trust, Lancaster University and University of Lancashire.

The awards ceremony at the House of Lords on the afternoon of Tuesday 28 April is being hosted by the Chair of LawWorks, Lord Peter Goldsmith, with Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer presenting the awards.