KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyers must never rely blindly on information generated by artificial intelligence, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran.
He cited cases in Singapore where lawyers were ordered to personally pay costs after fictitious legal cases appeared in their court submissions.
"Such incidents remind us that lawyers must never rely blindly on AI generated information," he said at the launch of LAWYes, an artificial intelligence platform for legal practice, here today.
He said discussions on artificial intelligence in the legal profession must always be linked to service quality, responsibility and public trust.
"Artificial intelligence should not replace the judgement of a lawyer. It should strengthen the lawyer's ability to serve clients with greater accuracy, efficiency and care," he said.
He outlined three key considerations for lawyers adopting the technology, starting with accuracy and verifiability.
He said lawyers must ensure the authorities they cite actually exist and are relevant to the case.
"Responsibility for the work produced and for safeguarding the client's interests remains with the lawyer handling the matter.
"Technology may change how lawyers work, but it does not change their duty to the law, to the courts and, above all, to their clients," he said.
On confidentiality, he said clients must have confidence that their information is handled securely.
"As lawyers increasingly adopt AI, they must understand how client information is processed, stored and protected," he said.
He stressed the need for young lawyers, pupils in chambers and law students to keep developing their skills in legal research, drafting and independent analysis.
"AI should complement these skills, not replace them," he said.
LAWYes was developed by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Faculty of Law lecturer Associate Professor Dr Shahrul Mizan Ismail, who is also executive chairman of YF Associates Sdn Bhd.
The platform offers legal research assistance, document drafting and case-based workspaces, and is designed to reduce AI hallucinations by keeping its responses grounded in the legal materials available to it.
Kulasegaran said he was proud that LAWYes was a Malaysian innovation built from scratch by someone from a legal rather than technological background.
"We should not be content with merely using technology developed elsewhere. Malaysia must also have the confidence and capability to develop its own solutions," he said.
He also hoped lawyers would use the time saved through artificial intelligence to improve their wellbeing.
"If AI can help lawyers complete their research, drafting and other routine tasks more efficiently, I hope they will use the time saved not simply to take on more work, but also to take better care of themselves," he said.
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