AI Counsel Blog Posts
Commercial Chatbot Disclosure Laws Enacted
by Zachary Barlow
January 26, 2026
We’ve previously discussed the rising regulation and risk around AI chatbots. Many of these regulations apply to specific uses such as chatbots in mental health care or “companion bots.” However, a new class of chatbot regulation is coming into force that affects more mundane uses, such as customer service-oriented bots. These laws require companies to […]
AI Risk Management: Prepare for New State Regulation of High-Risk Uses
by John Jenkins
January 22, 2026
Wilson Sonsini recently published a list of AI regulatory developments that companies need to watch out for during the upcoming year. As this excerpt explains, one of those developments is an increase in state efforts to regulate high-risk uses of AI tools: For companies developing or deploying AI for consequential decisions (e.g., financial or lending […]
Cybersecurity: Data Privacy Concerns to Take Center Stage in 2026
by John Jenkins
January 21, 2026
According to a recent ISACA article on cybersecurity trends to watch in 2026, data privacy will be front and center when it comes to security priorities. This excerpt explains: Throughout the past decade, cybersecurity has largely focused on protecting systems from hackers; however, that focus is shifting. Data privacy, driven in large part by its […]
Responsible AI Use: A Checklist
by John Jenkins
January 20, 2026
Here’s something that my colleague Meaghan Nelson recently published on “The Mentor Blog”: Recently, the ABA published a practical checklist for managing your firm’s use of AI. The article recognizes that folks are using AI for a variety of tasks—from help with emails to summarizing long documents to help with contract review. The key is […]
Considerations for AI SaaS Agreements
by Zachary Barlow
January 15, 2026
Many firms are integrating AI by working with outside vendors. Oftentimes, these deals are structured as Software as a Service (SaaS) agreements. This usually looks like a firm paying a monthly fee to a vendor for access to that vendor’s AI systems. While these agreements may seem straightforward, individual needs and scale can quickly complicate […]
How to Spot “AI Workslop”
by Zachary Barlow
January 14, 2026
I’ve written before about the risks AI “workslop” poses to companies. This term refers to AI-generated content that is facially passable as work product, but deeply lacking in substance and accuracy. It can be challenging to combat workslop and often managers are the first line of defense as they are tasked with reviewing junior-level employees’ […]
New York to Regulate “Frontier AI” with RAISE Act
by Zachary Barlow
January 13, 2026
New York has a new AI law coming into effect this year. On December 19, the Governor of New York signed the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act. This law regulates large AI developers creating and deploying “frontier models” in whole or in part in the state of New York. These developers will be […]
Notetaking or Eavesdropping? Fireflies.AI Gets Hit with Class Action
by Zachary Barlow
January 12, 2026
A new class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois against Fireflies.AI Corp. Fireflies is an AI program that users can add to virtual meetings. The app generates automatic meeting summaries based on recordings. Similar to the Otter.ai case, Plaintiffs argue that the program violates Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) because they allege it creates […]
AI Risk Management: Key Considerations When Developing an AI Policy
by John Jenkins
January 8, 2026
Companies implementing AI tools need a targeted AI policy that provides clear but flexible guardrails that can be incorporated into firm-wide training programs while also allowing companies to pivot quickly to address rapid technological change. This Arent Fox Schiff blog offers some insights into the key things to consider when developing such a policy. This […]
Regulatory Enforcement: What’s on the Agenda for 2026?
by John Jenkins
January 7, 2026
Dechert recently issued some predictions about key cyber, AI and privacy legal developments that might play out over the course of 2026. Here’s some of what they had to say about regulatory enforcement priorities in the upcoming year: – We’ll see U.S. regulatory enforcement increase at the state level with multi-state investigations and/or one-off AG […]