Singapore lawyers now have access to Microsoft’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tool, Copilot, but while they embrace the technology, they are also reminded of the importance of human oversight.
Copilot for Microsoft 365 was introduced in 2022 as a collaboration infrastructure designed to support legal workflows and is integrated with the country’s legal technology platform, which comprises a number of legal technology tools. The platform, jointly developed by the Ministry of Justice and technology partner Lupl, aims to enable local law firms and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to procure and maintain technology tools.
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The technology platform allows lawyers to view and track common work processes, including drafting documents, team discussions, client instructions, and administrative functions such as billing.
The integration with Copilot marks one of the first times the company has introduced a sector-specific technology system in Singapore, it said. statement It was released jointly by the Ministry of Justice, Lupl and Microsoft.
Platform users can leverage Gen AI to automate certain tasks like drafting status updates and tracking deadlines. For example, legal professionals can communicate with a virtual legal project manager via a natural language interface to get real-time updates on tasks and monitor their team’s workload. They can also scope case issues with the assistance of AI and notify clients of AI-generated status updates.
Local law firms are also being subsidised for the upfront costs of joining the legal tech platform. SG$59 ($45.21) per user per month The Pro package includes Copilot integration. The Starter package is available for SG$29 per user per month but does not include access to Copilot.
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Grant applicants can receive up to 70% funding over two years by subscribing to the technology platform and Copilot module. Applicants must submit their applications by March 31, 2025.
Humans still need to play a role
Lawyers qualified in Singapore can use Copilot and any AI tools to assist them in their work, but they are ultimately responsible for the jobs that are created, said Edwin Tong, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law.
Companies are also reminded to apply the usual safety precautions as they begin to implement Gen AI in their operations.
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Speaking at a panel discussion at the TechLawFest 2024 conference in Singapore on Wednesday, Tong said it would be unethical to simply use materials generated by Generation AI tools without proper scrutiny.
The committee pointed to a notorious incident from 2023. New York lawyers use ChatGPT They were required to prepare and submit briefs containing citations to non-existent cases and false citations, and the lawyers were later punished and fined.
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Tong said that qualified human lawyers are the ones providing legal advice and cannot be removed from that role, and warned against outsourcing the job to AI and technology.
Fellow panelist Mike Ye, vice president and deputy general counsel for corporate, external and legal affairs at Microsoft Asia, agreed, noting that part of a lawyer’s learning process is knowing how to fact-check.
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Ye recommended using AI for the first draft, with a human highlighting in red any passages that need further scrutiny, just as they would have done without AI.
He added that for lawyers to use Gen AI responsibly, it’s crucial that they understand how it works and how they can use it more effectively.
To further highlight the importance of proper AI training, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) this week partnered with Microsoft Singapore to provide training and resources to help legal professionals use Gen AI more effectively and ethically. A Guide to Large Scale Language Model (LLM) Prompt EngineeringIt includes demonstration videos that help you hone your skills specific to legal situations and produce more relevant results.
The guide also provides best practices and advice on common pitfalls when using Gen AI tools, along with specific use cases such as dispute resolution and corporate law. Additionally, a foundational course is provided to help lawyers gain a broader understanding of Gen AI, including the ethical issues involved.
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Singapore High Court Justice Aedit Abdullah said during a panel discussion that people need to be aware of what they are doing and how AI will affect their work, and they can’t just blame the AI ​​when mistakes happen.
As Singapore explored what guidelines it could provide to lawyers on the use of AI, it initially considered making disclosure of the use of AI in practice mandatory, he said. However, this may not be effective as AI is becoming increasingly prevalent and even available on mobile devices. The focus then shifted to guidelines that emphasize responsibility, ethics and appropriate behavior, he added. This could be implemented through training provided to lawyers, he added.
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The High Court judge further emphasised that it is important to instill values ​​and morality in the legal profession on the responsible use of AI, rather than being prescriptive, and that there is no going back as the technology will continue to benefit all organisations.
Tong urged the legal profession to embrace technology and AI, saying the industry can no longer remain rooted in analog. He noted that the Ministry of Justice introduced schemes to ease the adoption of technology a few years ago, but said adoption rates for such programmes have been low. It was only during the COVID-19 lockdown, when many organisations were forced to go digital, that adoption rates picked up.
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He pointed to government subsidies aimed at covering some of the initial costs of implementation and recognised the need to address key barriers such as cost to help law firms, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, “level up”.
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“Our collaboration with SAL will enable lawyers to gain the skills they need to fulfill their professional obligations and leverage Gen AI solutions,” Ye added.
Yeong Zee Kin, CEO of SAL, said: “Gen AI is transforming the legal landscape by serving as an effective partner to law firms, enabling them to automate tasks with unprecedented precision and accuracy. This collaboration connects that potential with end users, giving the entire profession, regardless of practice area, the tools they need to be more efficient, helping them maintain the highest ethical standards in an increasingly AI-driven world.”
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Global consulting firm PwC also announced partnerships with Harvey and ContractPodAi at the conference as part of its legal division’s efforts to bring Gen AI tools to its legal clients in Singapore. Harvey provides AI-powered professional services in legal, tax and finance, while ContractPodAi provides a contract and legal document management platform.
Eric Chin, director of NewLaw, PwC’s legal business, said both platforms will enable lawyers to streamline legal processes, enhance decision-making and provide legal support. “Lawyers can generate insights and draft recommendations based on large amounts of data, providing richer information to help legal teams identify solutions faster,” Chin said.
Harvey’s AI models for legal services are built on a range of LLMs and custom models fine-tuned for the legal community.
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In May, Singapore LLM Training in Legal Data — has been named GPT-Legal and will be rolled out in stages starting this month, with 75% of local lawyers expected to become users.
Developed jointly by the Singapore Law Institute (LawNet) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the LLM will be trained on legal data from the former’s legal content repository, which includes Singapore law reports. In its initial rollout, it will be used to summarise more than 15,000 decisions, enabling lawyers to carry out research and assess cases that they deem relevant.
GPT-Legal will also be designed with reliability and safety features to manage potential cases of hallucination and will be evaluated with an assessment tool.
