Global AI trends report: key legal issues for 2025

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Global AI trends report: key legal issues for 2025

Global AI trends report: key legal issues for 2025

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January 10, 2025

As we enter 2025, we reflect on a period marking a paradigm shift in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Major tech companies have poured more than US$150 billion into AI capital expenditure,¹ the overall AI market has pushed past US$184 billion² and there are reports acknowledging near 300 AI use cases across various industries.³ Some organizations have evidently reaped these benefits, as valuations soar alongside the AI market's expansion.⁴ 2024 unequivocally evidenced the ability of AI and its transformative potential to capture the focus of the market.

The market is already crystallizing into its next phase. Now, deployment of AI is no longer a concept or trial. It has the potential to contribute US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030,⁵ and major tech companies are already predicted to spend up to US$250 billion on AI infrastructure in 2025 alone.⁶ In the upcoming years, we expect to see business models increasingly shift to being AI-driven at the same time as new global regulations emerge, such as those developing more robust protections ensuring safe and responsible AI development. And there will be strong emphasis on business leaders having sufficient knowledge of AI to effectively navigate this shifting landscape.

It is apparent that the green light is on for organizations to unlock AI's potential, and it is forming central pillars in business strategy and investment decisions around the globe.

However, it is imperative for businesses to be prepared before unlocking AI's potential. This involves staying informed about the developing issues and trends impacting the adoption of the technology, as well as preparing organizations internal risk and operating structures.

We recently surveyed 450 business leaders and general counsel to assess where large organizations are in their AI adoption journey, and it was clear that despite the AI hype, many are not at the stage of fully understanding where the technology can be transformative and executing on targeted strategic deployment.

For more detailed insights on how businesses are entering this new era of working with AI, please explore our Laws of AI Traction Report available on dentons.com.

Notably, 63% of business leaders currently do not have a formalized AI roadmap for high-impact AI integration. In a landscape where 74% of business leaders believe that AI is an important mechanism to protect their organization's revenue and bottom line, establishing robust building blocks from a governance perspective is essential to turbocharge AI strategy. While this varies by sector, the speed of AI adoption will depend on these building blocks to anticipate risks and help organizations close the gap between AI ambitions and the actions they take.

The growth of AI underscores the importance for businesses to position themselves to manage the associated risks of this evolving landscape. This report highlights what we at Dentons see as key legal and risk trends for AI in 2025.

For instance, AI's interaction with intellectual property rights is one of the most challenging issues needing near-term resolution and highlights emerging trends, such as growing attention on copyright concerns regarding potential infringement arising from the output from generative AI and what appropriate licensing partnership models should take. Considering this, organizations will need to consider safeguards and evaluate optimized protection strategies. This includes developing clear strategies on where licensing arrangements can protect or monetize content and looking to protect self-developed AI technologies by exploring specialist patent applications.

The approach to procurement or licensing of AI technology from external vendors is an area that is becoming increasingly "front of mind". This is a key strategic decision for companies focusing their growth and transformation plans around enhanced AI capabilities. According to our Laws of AI Traction Report, seven in 10 business leaders view AI adoption and implementation as the key growth driver for their organization. As this market evolves, organizations interested in contracting for external AI technology must consider end-to-end procurement strategies and ensure compliance with current AI regulations while anticipating potential changes.

2025 is set to be another important year for organizations and leaders in terms of AI regulation and governance, which will see the initial provisions of the EU AI Act take effect – a global benchmark on AI regulation. Our global team has leveraged their understanding of current trends and client challenges to provide insights on how the regulatory environment is influencing approaches here. Anyone with responsibility for their organization's legal or risk agenda will benefit from reviewing this report which covers emerging issues such as:

an emerging global consensus around minimizing the risks of AI use;
the increasing focus on privacy and security by design;
how AI is pushing businesses towards self-governance frameworks founded on ethical considerations; and
how courts are expected to tackle the issue of algorithmic bias.

We hope you find this report helpful and would be interested to hear how you and your legal teams are addressing these issues, as well as others not included in the report. If you would welcome a tailored discussion regarding your organization's approach to AI, please contact an appropriate person listed in the report or email brendan.graves@dentons.com to arrange a meeting.

Download the full global AI trends report or navigate to our key areas listed below. Visit Dentons' AI: Global Solutions Hub for the latest legal insights, webinar recordings and regulatory overviews from around the world.

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