Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Law

9:30 a.m. Program Chairs’ Welcome and Introductory Remark

9:40 a.m. AI Technology 360: Key Developments, Trends and Implications for Service Delivery

In this opening session, faculty will provide you with a round-up of notable developments, trends and implications involving AI technology, including:

• Overview of recent advancements in AI technology
  • Review of notable intersections between technology and the practice of law or business
  • Advancements in machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and autonomous systems
  • Breakthroughs in self-learning and emerging autonomous agents and neurosymbolic AI
  • Developments in use cases
• Practical implications for law and business – leveraging innovative technologies and AI for service delivery
• Tips for avoiding or mitigating risk and potential pain points
• Emerging AI technology and trends – ideas for fine-tuning operations and thinking strategically about AI technology

Al Hounsell, National Director of AI, Innovation & Knowledge, Gowling WLG Canada LLP

10:40 a.m. Break

10:55 a.m. Best Practices for Applying AI Products and Practices in Your Law Firm or Business

• What’s new? Overview of the key AI products in the market
• How are these products developing and impacting businesses? What’s changed since last year?
• How to make the most out of the AI tools for law firms and for businesses:
  • Tool selection
  • Process considerations
  • Practical guidance and troubleshooting tips
• Real-world examples of AI in practice – lessons learned and best practices

Katarina Daniels, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Monica Goyal, Caravel Law

12:10 p.m. Lunch

12:50 p.m. Framework and Strategies for Managing AI Risk: Interactive Activity

In this interactive session, faculty will lead a guided discussion through a realistic fact scenario, highlighting tools and resources for improving your ability to evaluate and manage AI risk in the context of your organization. Faculty will work through a proposed framework resource for identifying, assessing/prioritizing, mitigating and reporting potential risk.

Max Jarvie, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

1:50 p.m. Break

2:05 p.m. Navigating the AI Regulatory Landscape and Privacy and Data Challenges: Interactive Panel Discussion

• Developments and trends in the AI regulatory frameworks around the world, and the impact on Canadian regulation
• Impacts of international frameworks on Canadian organizations – what Canadian businesses need to know
• Controversies and interpretative challenges and insights for dealing with them
• Risk management tips for mitigating potential liabilities, extraterritorial effects and new obligations for organizations
• Considerations for overcoming governance challenges – with distinctions for both the public sector and the private sector
• Strategies for navigating intersections with privacy, protection of personal information
• The latest on managing provisions and risk governing decisions based on automated processing

Brent J. Arnold, Gowling WLG LLP
Ryan Fritsch, Counsel, Law Commission of Ontario
Dawn Hall, Senior Advisor, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Carole Piovesan, INQ Law

3:25 p.m. Competition Law and AI Considerations

In this final session, join faculty from the Competition Bureau Canada to learn about important initiatives and changes involving the intersections of AI and competition law and matters, including key takeaways from the Consultation on Artificial Intelligence and Competition (January 2025).

Rebecca Ianno, Special Advisor, Digital Enforcement and Intelligence Branch, Competition Bureau, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Alexandre (Alex) Laurier, Special Advisor, Digital Enforcement and Intelligence Branch, Competition Bureau, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

4:25 p.m. Recap of Key Themes and Closing Remarks

Monica Goyal, Caravel Law
Max Jarvie, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

9:30 a.m. Introductory Remarks

9:35 a.m. AI, Trust and the Justice System: What’s New, What’s Happening

• Trustworthiness check-in – where are things at with AI?
• AI and liability risks and trends
• Developments on AI and tort law/liability
• Current AI uses and impacts on the court process and the criminal justice system
• Unique evidentiary challenges, including deepfakes, etc
• Developments in the perceptions of risk, trust and bias – how are issues being identified, prioritized and addressed?

Maura Grossman, Research Professor in the School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, and Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University

10:45 a.m. Break

11:00 a.m. Navigating the Legal Aspects of IP for AI-Generated Content

• The latest on the legal aspects of AI generated content – who owns what?
• Patenting AI inventions
• How to protect AI-related innovations?
• Risks to client IP with LLM
• Tips for dealing with common pitfalls

Alex Stack, Of Counsel, Caravel Law LLP

11:45 a.m. Commercial Contracting Considerations

• Review of common data inputs and outputs – including pre-existing or third-party data and generated data
• Common types of agreements and key risk management considerations – AI product and service agreement, collaboration and JV agreements, data licensing
• Unpacking common and broad definitions, engaging in meaningful data discussions
• Key AI considerations related to data
• Working through a common issue: negotiating rights to use data

Sam Ip, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Charles Morgan, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

12:30 p.m. Lunch

1:15 p.m. Refining Your AI Prompt Engineering Skills: Interactive Demonstration

When using an AI tool, your prompts are the instructions you input into the large language model to create an output. Due to the inherent risks of using AI tools, you must continuously enhance your AI prompt engineering and risk mitigation skills to effectively achieve your desired output.

In this practical session and demonstration, you will learn in real-time how to elevate your ability to communicate with AI and to efficiently get the most useful and accurate responses.

Josh Kubicki, Fractional Legal Executive, Visiting Lecturer, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Author & Educator

2:35 p.m. Break

2:50 p.m. Strategies for Navigating Ethics and Societal Risks in an AI-World: Interactive Panel Discussion

With a focusing on the discussion of the latest developments, nuances and case law, this expert panel will discuss strategies and best practices for dealing with ethical and societal risks, including:

• Use of technology to increase access to justice
• Surveillance
• Issues with data
• Training
• Human rights
• How to think about bias
• Potential risks to society and to democratic systems
• Use of AI technology in government (e.g., immigration decision-making)
• Use of AI technology in private sector (e.g., loan/credit applications, job applications, profiling)
• Necessary protocols: independent oversight for automated decision-making, notification/ publication requirements, task forces, etc.

Jake Effoduh, Assistant Professor, Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University
Susan Lindsay, Counsel, Law Commission of Ontario
Petra Molnar, Associate Director, Refugee Law Lab, York University, and Faculty Associate, Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society, Harvard University
Ian Stedman, Assistant Professor, Canadian Public Law and Governance, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University

4:15 p.m. Recap of Key Themes and Closing Remarks

• The impact of technology on businesses (including law firms)
• Will generative AI impact on the billable hour?
• Challenges for organizations (are these tools trustworthy?)
• What strategy should firms, in-house counsel, or government have with respect to AI?
• What comes next?
• What are new developments in AI?

Monica Goyal, Caravel Law LLP
Max Jarvie, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP