Harnessing Generative AI: Practical advice

AI-savvy lawyers

With Generative AI (GenAI) creating many opportunities to enhance and streamline company working practices, there is pressure on many business and function leaders to integrate GenAI into their business. While the possibilities seem vast across all sectors, our clients want to know how to both practically deploy new technologies and use them safely in a business environment. 

Over the past year, major companies covering various industries, including energy and utilities as well as financial services, have actively sought guidance from Addleshaw Goddard on key questions such as: 

  • What are the intellectual property challenges?
  • What liabilities does GenAI open up?
  • What are the data privacy implications? 

We field a combined team of Technology, IP, Data Privacy, Commercial, Reputation Management and Dispute Resolution lawyers, plus a specialist team of technology innovation experts, that together help organisations harness GenAI in two fundamental ways:

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1. Client Advisory: Integrating GenAI

We provide clear and practical advice to enable organisations to explore the opportunities whilst managing the risks associated with deploying new technology and business models across multiple jurisdictions:

  • Contracts: Gain clarity on the contract terms, conditions and liabilities associated with ChatGPT, Copilot, Bard, MidJourney or any of the myriad other GenAI offerings.
  • Intellectual Property: what are the copyright implications? How do you authenticate something as original work?
  • Data Protection: what are the implications of data being collected from your business? How private are different platforms?
  • Regulatory and Competition: regulators and competition authorities are working to catch up with GenAI developments.  Businesses have the ability to input into this development and will then need to deal with the outcome.
  • Ethics and Responsibility: what are some of the knock-on operational, people and ethical implications for your organisation? How should you manage these risks as you deploy GenAI?
2. Using GenAI within in-house legal functions

Over 140 AG people have used more than 50 different GenAI platforms in a legal setting. We share our experiences openly with our clients and can advise in-house legal functions on how best to deploy it within their business. We know that Generative AI is not a direct replacement for professional legal advice – we can share our expertise by:

  • Identifying use cases that we believe in-house legal teams might wish to consider.
  • Establishing the best possible solutions for your business based on your requirements. 
  • Using our extensive research of products to ensure you avoid a costly mistake with the wrong provider.
  • Advising on policies and training that are required to help in-house legal teams protect their organisation's data, reputation, and people.
  • Ensuring you are well equipped to harness the power of Generative AI to enhance and streamline your work.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your AI needs and questions with one of our experienced lawyers. You can rely on our team for practical advice on how to harness the power of GenAI, including keeping you up to date on changing regulations in order to help you safely deploy new products and practices to serve your business. More immediately, you can download two free legal guides at the bottom of this page that shine a light on some myths, risks and mitigation when it comes to using GenAI within in-house legal functions and business.

Recent activity and examples of work

Energy - factory teaser

National Utility Client 

We supported our client on it's adoption of Microsoft's Copilot GenAI product. The support involved reviewing the new Copilot supplemental terms against the client's existing Microsoft terms and creating a risk report setting out issues and mitigations for using the product.


Technology - Screen teaser

Professional Service Firm 

We drafted a new AI development agreement for our client to engage an AI developer to generate a bespoke AI tool for intellectual property governance.


Real estate - teaser - building

German Advertising Agency 

Advising a leading advertising agency on issues arising from the use of GenAI in producing customer materials.


AG Elevate - Teaser - Unicorn

Elevate Programme

This year we supported 15 high-growth tech businesses selected for the 2023 AG Elevate mentoring scheme, with over a quarter of this year's participants focusing on AI, along with a strong presence of Health tech, comprising the largest AG Elevate cohort to date, featuring a mix of companies from Europe, all participating in the 10-month program aimed at guiding tech businesses across various sectors. 

Find out more

Teaser - Keyboard

Large Insurance Provider 

We supported on analysis to achieve regulatory compliance with privacy laws, provided privacy notice and negotiated contractual arrangements.


Finance teaser - connection

Financial Services Business 

We advised in relation to privacy impact assessment for use of AI tools.


Technology teaser -graph

Global Technology Business  

We supported on establishing lawful basis for use of AI in the context of monitoring.


GenAI Teaser

AGPT

Built and launch an AG hosted AI Tool (AGPT) to enable our lawyers to access large language models within our firm environment.


Our team, at a glance

50

30+

75

140+

People

Client chats

tools

Volunteers





AG established its award-winning, 50 strong innovation team in 2017.

Over 30 client sessions on GenAI in the past 3 months.

75 unique GenAI tools received and analysed to date.

Over 140 AG people have been involved in our GenAI testing and pilot programme across 5 different tools, focused on legal use cases.

50

30+

People

Client chats



AG established its award-winning, 50 strong innovation team in 2017.

Over 30 client sessions on GenAI in the past 3 months.

75

140+

tools

Volunteers



75 unique GenAI tools received and analysed to date.

Over 140 AG people have been involved in our GenAI testing and pilot programme across 5 different tools, focused on legal use cases.