Artificial Intelligence (AI) Law

Overview

Artificial intelligence (AI) law creates new opportunities and challenges traditional business models across many sectors. It is accelerating drug discovery, diagnosing disease, automating transport, reducing insurance costs, tailoring customer experiences and driving efficiencies across multiple sectors.

We offer an international team of experienced, technically strong AI lawyers to help you identify and navigate the practical, legal, regulatory and ethical challenges presented by AI.

We have experience across the key practice areas for AI, including corporate, commercial, financing, competition law, cyber security, data protection, employment, intellectual property and product liability. We help with strategy, acquisition, collaborations, IP protection, licensing, and litigation in the areas where AI and the law overlap.

We have a deep understanding of the technology, the applicable law and regulation and the developing policy and legislative landscape to make any AI project a real success. Contact us today for more information.

What is AI?

There is no universally accepted definition of AI, but a reasonable summary is that it covers the automation of tasks that are generally considered to require intelligence. Much of AI's recent breakthroughs are in "machine learning", where a computer system follows procedures to learn from data or an environment. The dramatic advances are typically accompanied by significant limitations, such as a lack of transparency as to how the AI works, risks of unpredictable failure and potential bias.

AI's technical powers and limitations, combined with ethical concerns around the influence of AI systems, raise new legal issues in areas such as product liability, negligence, intellectual property and competition law. With intense scrutiny from regulators and legislatures worldwide, AI is one of the most complex and fast moving areas of the law.

Artificial intelligence legal services

Meet our global team

Our AI lawyers advise across a host of sectors and practice areas worldwide. Find out more about our teams in Canada and the UK.

Canada

Our Canadian team of AI lawyers work across a broad range of sectors and legal services. The team offers a high level of technical expertise combined with the flexibility to advise start-ups and small enterprises alongside large institutions.

Insight from our Canadian AI team

Articles
Patenting Artificial Intelligence Inventions in Canada

In recent years, the confluence of advancements in computational power and the abundance of rich data sets has led to a surge in the number of practical applications for AI.

Client work

Recognition in Canada

Our AI members represent our many practice areas and regions, with many of them recognised by a host of prestigious legal directories such as The Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, Canadian Legal Lexpert and Best Lawyers. Our team was also recognised in the Lexpert Special Edition: Technology.

Gowling WLG was named Law Firm of the Year at the 4th Annual Canadian FinTech & AI Awards. The awards celebrate the very best in Canadian financial technology and artificial intelligence innovation.

Contact our team in Canada

Naïm Antaki
Partner, Co-head of AI Law Group (Canada)

Christopher Alam
Partner Co-head of AI Law Group (Canada)

UK

The strength of our UK AI team lies in our full-service approach. We draw on the experience of lawyers from across our many practice areas including corporate, commercial, competition law, cyber security, data protection, employment, intellectual property and product liability, pairing technically excellent legal advice with a deep understanding of AI-related matters.

Insight in Artificial Intelligence from the UK

On-demand webinar
Intellectual property strategies for data and artificial intelligence - ThinkHouse

There will be winners and losers. Matt Hervey looks at best practices for protecting investments in AI and unlocking the value in data.

Client work

Recognition

Gowling WLG is consistently recognised by the likes of The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. JUVE Patent has recognized our "dedicated AI practice" as one of the strengths of our IP team.

We are the only law firm to have been part of UK Autodrive, the largest UK consortia trialling automated vehicle technology. The consortia was part of an initiative to supported by the government to support the introduction of self-driving cars into the UK.

Matt Hervey, our Head of AI in the UK, is immersed in the impacts of AI across the key practice areas, market trends and regulatory and legal developments. He is joint General Editor of The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet & Maxwell), the leading practitioner's textbook covering AI technology, ethics, regulation and law. He participates in AI-related committees and working groups for the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the IP Federation, and the World Law Group.

Contact the UK team

Matt Hervey
Partner, Head of Artificial Intelligence (UK)