“AI isn’t going to replace lawyers, but lawyers who use AI will replace lawyers.”

Has AI started a legal revolution? Anusheh, Claire and Liam, part of Ashfords’ commercial litigation team, discuss how they feel about the mind-blowing tool implementing itself into the workplace. 

With 58% of a surveyed group of UK lawyers feeling positive about the use of AI in the workplace, this podcast episode discusses how AI could change the shape of the legal market. Will lawyers who don’t use AI get left behind?

Ashfords Unlocking AI podcast - Episode 1: A legal revolution - will AI be the death of lawyers?

Jo Muncaster, Head of Finance of digiLab, sits down with Ashfords senior associate Brett Lambe to discuss the growing commercial need for AI in a data-heavy world. Jo shares how the twinLab, digiLab’s state-of-the-art machine learning library, brings AI tools to a wider audience.

Not only this, the episode discusses how AI touches our everyday lives, how it is portrayed through the media and how the tool might change our future.

Ashfords Unlocking AI podcast - Episode 2: How can AI assist a data-heavy world?

Did you know, 40% of people stop IVF treatments after failing the first treatment round due to costs?

Gaia Fertility, founded in 2019, is the world’s first IVF insurance product that provides an affordable way to start a family through IVF. At the beginning of each round, their customers pay an insurance premium which covers all procedures, medication and continuous support throughout their journey to parenthood.

Ashfords’ Jenny Guild and Chris Fotheringham sit down with Tom Spooner, Head of Legal at Gaia Fertility. Discussions flow as to how AI is used in Gaia’s platform, to help hopeful parents and support the best fertility clinics in the UK.

Ashfords Unlocking AI Podcast - Episode 3: Can AI support you through uncertain times?

2023 has been a ‘watershed’ year for AI, with many questions and concerns how it will affect the world of law. Phillip Demetriou, senior director of UK and European sales at DISCO, sits down with Anusheh, partner in Ashfords’ commercial disputes team, to demystify the stigma surrounding AI. The podcast illustrates how artificial intelligence is used in DISCO’s platform and how it can improve legal outcomes for all. What does the future hold for AI and litigation?

Ashfords Unlocking AI Podcast - Episode 4: How is AI empowering lawyers to do more?

Stephen and Andrew from Ashfords’ construction and infrastructure team, along with Brett from our intellectual property team, delve into the opportunities and challenges of the use of AI in construction design. 

There are potential risks that designers must navigate when using the tool, from intellectual property to data privacy and security issues. This podcast episode highlights how virtual reality, generative AI, language models and text-to-image generators can impact the design process.

Ashfords Unlocking AI Podcast - Episode 5: How will AI shape the future of construction design?

Legal director Kristy Coleman and associate Hannah Pettit, both members of Ashfords’ commercial and IP team, explore how AI is used in the retail sector whilst highlighting the risks and opportunities that companies may face when using the revolutionary tool.

The seventh episode of our Unlocking AI podcast investigates how AI connects brands to consumers and whether it’s boosting the customer experience or taking a negative effect. 

From a data protection perspective, Kristy and Hannah also advise how retailers can safeguard their businesses when adopting AI and discuss how the metaverse has revolutionised the retail space.

Are humans are still needed to make sure things don’t go wrong in this sector?

Ashfords Unlocking AI podcast - Episode 6: Pushing AI boundaries in retail

Oliver Woodhouse, who leads our financial regulatory practice, and commercial solicitor Tom Lattimore investigate how AI is currently being used in the financial services and fintech sector, including areas such as fraud detection, insurance and payments. They also explore the use of AI within marketing, content and customer support. 

Whilst studies have shown that AI can help to improve performance in certain areas, the podcast also delves into AI risk, including data protection and security implications, and potential for issues of bias and discrimination. This episode explores how AI can enhance services, but also the potential regulatory repercussions if things go wrong. Oliver and Tom also share insights on potential UK regulatory developments and provide tips for organisations when using AI tools.

Please note: since recording this episode of our Unlocking AI podcast, the FCA and Bank of England published the results of its third survey on AI and machine learning in UK financial services – an insightful read, the report comments on the continued growth and adoption of AI in the sector, considering respondent feedback on benefits, risks and constraints. Those areas with the greatest perceived benefits include data and analytical insights, fraud mitigation and cybersecurity, whilst key concerns continue to focus on data protection and privacy, as well as overarching safety and security concerns of emerging AI models.

Ashfords Unlocking AI podcast - Episode 7: How is AI elevating fintech and financial services?

'AI is no longer optional - we require it to continue to innovate'

Corporate partner and healthcare and life sciences sector head Jocelyn Ormond interviews Dr Michelle Tempest - doctor, author of Big Brain Revolution and partner at Candesic healthcare consultancy - exploring how AI is transforming the healthcare sector, why AI is integral for innovation in this space and the regulatory challenges that need to be overcome.

As digital ways of working have given the industry access to vast pools of patient data, this podcast episode deep dives into the challenges and opportunities of exploiting AI in the healthcare space including in drug discovery and development, clinical trial optimisation, building capacity, imaging and value creation.

Jocelyn and Michelle discuss how the regulatory approach to AI in the healthcare sector needs to shift and share why it's essential for regulation to keep up with innovation. The pair also share advice for medical device start-ups, advising why legal and regulatory compliance needs to be embedded into the first steps of the design journey.

Ashfords Unlocking AI - Episode 8: Regulation and other challenges of exploiting AI in healthcare

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Ashfords Unlocking AI podcast - Episode 2: How can AI assist a data-heavy world?

Ashfords LLP