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31 January 2025 / Ian McDougall
Issue: 8102 / Categories: Features , Profession , Artificial intelligence , Technology , Regulatory
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The AI emperor has no clothes

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Is sheer panic & confusion driving the push to regulate artificial intelligence? Ian McDougall highlights the folly of legislating for something that doesn’t exist
  • Despite the rush to push through legislation specifically designed to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), the bulk of issues raised pre-date the development of AI, and are therefore already covered by existing legislation.

Firstly, I acknowledge that this article has come too late to influence the topic. The horse has bolted, the train has left the station, and the diva is already singing. Nonetheless, I still feel I should put these thoughts on the record. Sometimes being a lone voice is lonely, but I am patient. The points I am about to raise are as inevitable as they are frustrating.

So, with that lengthy and cryptic introduction, I shall give you the conclusion first, and then explain why. The conclusion: I am not convinced that there is a need for any artificial intelligence (AI)-specific regulation. It causes more confusion than any problem it

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NEWS
Restrictions on workplace non-disclosure agreements could make settlements slower, more complex and more expensive when reforms expected in 2027 take effect
Private prosecutors face closer scrutiny under Crown Prosecution Service guidance designed to strengthen accountability and consistency when intervention is requested
Foreign states cannot necessarily claim immunity for cyber operations launched abroad against computers in Britain, following a divided Supreme Court ruling
Defendants who make unsupported complaints about their lawyers risk losing legal aid while confiscation proceedings continue without representation
Lawyers advising Russian clients face different sanctions restrictions across the UK, EU and US, despite their shared objective of increasing pressure on Russia
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