38 pp report
THE FUTURE IS NOW: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE LEGAL PROFESSION SEPTEMBER 2024 5 Foreword
The transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) can no longer be ignored. If the internet changed the way we live and work, AI may have an even greater impact on our profession and our society. Not all of the consequences of AI have been identified yet, but it is clear the future is upon us.
The International Bar Association (IBA), as the global voice of the legal profession, cannot turn a blind eye to such a challenge. We have the duty to meet this moment, dedicating our expertise and insights to provide guidance on the legal aspects of AI to our members, to the legal profession and to society.
That is the thinking behind The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession, the first comprehensive IBA report on AI. In the report, we examine the impact of AI on law firms, on regulation, and on the profession’s ethical obligations. And the report could not exclude considering the impact of AI on the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights. The IBA’s core mission is the protection and promotion of the rule of law.
The Future is Now report would not have been possible without the great contributions of the IBA Task Force members and the Working Group members dedicated to this project, who have generously dedicated their knowledge and scarce time to this joint effort. My recognition and gratitude goes to all of them, as well as to our members who have shared their experiences and insights through surveys, questionnaires and interviews. Thank you also to the IBA staff, whose support has been essential for this endeavour.
I have led this project jointly with Vice President Claudio Visco. Thank you, Claudio, once again, for having shared this aspiration with me and for your continued support on so many fronts. I also thank Marc Rotenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy (CAIDP), a global network of AI policy experts and human rights advocates, our partner for this report. Marc has been the captain of this project, helping us navigate these unchartered waters with the amazing help of Natalia Alarcón Rueda. You have helped us to achieve a much better result than we would have attained working on our own.
In the years ahead, AI will present new opportunities and new challenges to our profession and our society. We will explore these new worlds with a commitment to our mission and our purpose. With the publication of the report The Future is Now, we aim to set a good course on behalf of our Association.
I hope you enjoy reading the work of our Association.
Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama
IBA President 2023–2024
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