Deputy Minister warns lawyers against unchecked AI use at LAWYes launch

At a Kuala Lumpur event unveiling the AI platform LAWYes, Deputy Minister M. Kulasegaran warned that lawyers must not accept AI outputs without verification, referencing Singapore rulings that imposed personal costs on attorneys for fictitious case citations. He stressed that AI should enhance, not supplant, professional judgment, linking its use to service quality, responsibility and public trust. Kulasegaran identified three essential considerations: ensuring factual accuracy, retaining responsibility for client interests, and safeguarding confidential information.

He called on law students and junior counsel to keep honing research, drafting and analytical abilities, positioning AI as a complementary tool. The platform, created by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer Associate Professor Dr Shahrul Mizan Ismail, aims to limit hallucinations by grounding responses in existing legal materials. Kulasegaran praised the homegrown solution and suggested that time saved through AI could improve lawyers' wellbeing.