Four Baker McKenzie partners shared their 2024 predictions with Legaltech News on what businesses can expect in data privacy, hybrid work, cybersecurity, and innovating for good in the upcoming year. Read their predictions below.
Lothar Determann, Partner, North America International Commercial Practice: “Governments are proposing broad definitions for ‘artificial intelligence’ as a basis for extensive new compliance burdens and strict liability rules in the draft EU AI Act—so broad they could cover pocket calculators. This could overwhelm legal departments that create impact assessments, specific privacy notices, and other paperwork for myriad IT systems. As a result, they may miss AI systems in the narrow sense, which ‘function with substantial autonomy and in ways that their developers cannot predict, explain, or control with certainty.’ In my view, this more practical definition would make it easier for legal departments to meet compliance rules.” Read the full article on Legal Tech's Prediction for Data Privacy in 2024 (subscription required).
Paul Evans, Partner, North America Employment and Compensation Practice: “We predict a growing number of employers will expand the use of AI beyond resume scanning and toward all aspects of employment, including assignments, performance management, and succession planning. Current laws that focus on AI-based decision-making in hiring will be updated to address the risks associated with these uses. As employers grapple with this increasingly complex regulatory landscape, we expect a growing reliance on internal subject matter experts, including positions such as Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, to help navigate stakeholders balancing the tremendous power of AI against the legal and reputational harm its misuse can place on a company.” You can read the full article on Legal Tech's Predictions for Hiring, Staffing, and Hybrid Work in 2024 (subscription required).
Cyrus Vance, Partner and Global Chair of Baker McKenzie's Cybersecurity Practice: “We are approaching a cyber tipping point in 2024. As never before, our rapidly advancing technology landscape can be a force for extraordinary good, or self-destruction. With threat actors increasingly using supply chains as an attack vector to global IT systems, the risk to global businesses is greater than ever. Because cyber-attacks often impact data security regulations and breach of data notifications across multiple global jurisdictions with frequently different requirements, the landscape in which businesses have to prepare for, try to prevent and respond to cyber risk is becoming more complicated, not less. This will continue into 2024 and beyond.” Read the full article on Legal Tech's Predictions for Cybersecurity in 2024 (subscription required).
Angela Vigil, Partner and Executive Director, Baker McKenzie’s Global Pro Bono Group: “We’ve historically seen the business sector of the legal profession advance quickly in technology, while the public interest sector lags behind. In the coming years, I think we’ll see a greater focus from the private sector to utilize new developments, such as digitalization and AI, to advance justice in new ways for low income people and vulnerable populations.” You can read the full article on Legal Tech's Predictions for Innovating for Good in 2024 (subscription required).