CPLC Seminar series: 'AI as the New Scrivener: The Unspoken Dangers of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Contract Formation'

Speaker: Dr Mark Giancaspro (The University of Adelaide)

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is one of the most disruptive and transformative technologies to ever impact the legal profession and wider society. Its capacity to swiftly generate all manner of outputs, including what would objectively be recognised as ‘contracts’, makes it a powerfully helpful tool for lawyers and laypeople alike. As GenAI assumes an increasingly prominent role in the contract drafting process, however, a range of critical but unanswered questions arises. This paper focusses on some such questions, including whether GenAI undermines traditional notions of legal intent, can incur accessorial liability under consumer laws for its inclusion of unfair terms, or is subject to having its ‘decisions’ nullified under the narrow common law doctrine of mistake. This interrogation reveals that the enormous benefits of GenAI may be overshadowed by the challenges it presents for orthodox legal principles underpinning the formation of contracts.

Open to Faculty members, visitors, invitees and LLM/MCL/PhD students only.

Sandwiches served in the lower ground atrium from 12.30pm; seminar to commence in B16 at 1-2pm.

We hope that you can make it to these exciting events: Eugene Shevchuk & Fleur Stolker (Convenors)

The Cambridge Private Law Centre acknowledges with gratitude the generous financial support of XXIV Old Buildings.