On 12th January, MEPs voted for a set of regulations to be drafted to govern the use and creation of robots and artificial intelligence, hot off the back of the UK government setting up a commission to look at the issues surrounding artificial intelligence. Across continents, the law is unclear and differing and is likely to evolve in this area. In late 2016, in the UK, the Commons' Science and Technology Committee published a report on robotics and artificial intelligence. The report recommended that a standing Commission on Artificial Intelligence be established to examine the social, ethical and legal implications of recent and potential developments in AI. As of 12th January, MEPs from the parliament's legal affairs committee passed Mady Delvaux's report into robotics and AI.

A consortium of experts last week issued an updated Roadmap For Robotics report. The first Roadmap report was issued in 2009 and led to the Obama administration to set up the National Robotics Initiative in 2011, which allocated $70 million to research for robotics. Weighing in at over 100 pages, the report is full of guidelines and recommendations that experts believe require funding and attention from Congress moving forward, as well as providing policymakers enough information to more accurately determine optimal allocation of resources. Since the first report (and a 2013 revision) drones, driverless cars, and all sorts of assistive robots have taken centre stage due to their accelerating development. Integrating these systems into daily life is seen as one of the primary goals, and to that end, the importance of STEM education is highlighted.

Weighing in at over 100 pages, the report is full of guidelines and recommendations that experts believe require funding and attention from Congress moving forward, as well as providing policymakers enough information to more accurately determine optimal allocation of resources. Since the first report (and a 2013 revision) drones, driverless cars, and all sorts of assistive robots have taken centre stage due to their accelerating development. Integrating these systems into daily life is seen as one of the primary goals, and to that end, the importance of STEM education is highlighted. Both safety and liability feature in the section on the legal and ethical context, recommending the collaboration of people with specialised trading to oversee the use of robotics systems in difficult and dangerous jobs, while the issue of insurance is raised for when those accidents do happen. The impact of robotics on labour is of prime concern to people, not only in the US, but around the world, as the reality of automation approaches.

Chrissie Lightfoot takes a detailed look at how AI is used by law firms and what is on the horizon. As a futurist, an entrepreneur, and a lawyer, I always get asked, 'What do you think is the next big thing in the legal world?' I always begin my response with a catch-all reply: 'The next big thing is anything that helps you attract and keep a client. No client equals no business. A bit of a cliché, I know.