Responsible use of AI at Norton Rose Fulbright

At Norton Rose Fulbright, we are committed to delivering high-quality, innovative and client-focused legal services. This includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance our capabilities, efficiency and value proposition. We also acknowledge the ethical, legal and social challenges and opportunities that AI presents for our profession and our society.

This document sets out the principles and guidelines for the responsible and ethical use of AI across our global network. It reflects our core values of quality, unity and integrity, and outlines our commitment to the highest standards of professional conduct and responsibility.

Our Principles for Responsible Use of AI

• We use AI to enhance our legal services and deliver value to our clients. 
• We maintain client confidentiality.
• We only use AI tools that we assess to be sufficiently reliable, accurate, and secure to be fit for purpose. 
• We ensure that our use of AI is consistent with our legal and regulatory obligations.
• We use AI to empower our people and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. 
• We provide our people with the necessary training, guidance and support to responsibly use AI effectively and confidently. 
• We require our people to exercise their professional judgement and critical thinking when using AI and to maintain appropriate oversight and accountability for the work product generated with the assistance of AI. 
• We promote a learning environment where our people can share their insights and feedback on AI and contribute to its continuous improvement.
• We strive to use AI in ways that are fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory and respectful of diversity. 
• We seek to prevent and mitigate any potential harm or adverse impact of AI on human rights, privacy, security and the environment. 
• We actively participate in the global dialogue on the ethical and responsible development and deployment of AI, both within the legal profession and in the wider society.

Our Practices for Responsible Use of AI

• We comply with all applicable laws, regulations, rules of professional responsibility, and industry standards in each jurisdiction in which we operate when using AI. 
• We adopt responsible development and deployment best practices and ensure proper functioning of AI systems during their lifecycles. 
• We maintain compliance with relevant data protection regulations. We implement appropriate data governance measures to safeguard data privacy, security and integrity throughout the AI lifecycle.
• We establish channels for clients, personnel, and stakeholders to seek clarifications and obtain information about AI systems and their impacts.
• We ensure appropriate human oversight and control in decision-making processes involving AI.
• We prohibit the use of AI for unprofessional, illegal, harmful or discriminatory purposes. 
• We provide training for employees regarding AI governance, ethical considerations and best practices. 
• We foster a culture that encourages responsible AI use and empowers personnel to raise concerns or report potential violations or issues encountered in the usage of AI.
• We regularly review and update our AI governance policy to align with evolving legal, ethical and societal expectations.

We are fully committed to the responsible use of AI. We welcome ongoing dialogue and discussion on how we can use AI safely to create value and drive innovation.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to learn more about our approach to the use of AI at Norton Rose Fulbright, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team.