Responsible use of AI in legal research
6 min read · Published 2026-08-22 · Last reviewed 2026-08-22
Written by LEX ZED Editorial Team · Reviewed by LEX ZED Editorial Review · Editorial policy · Methodology
Using an AI assistant does not transfer any part of your responsibility to it. Whatever a tool produced, the person who signs the document owns every statement in it.
Verification is non-delegable
Every authority relied on must be read in the original before it is cited. Every statutory provision must be checked in the published Act or statutory instrument. Every proposition attributed to a judgment must be traceable to a passage you have actually seen. No disclaimer on a tool reduces this duty.
Confidentiality
Client information is confidential. Before entering facts into any AI system, consider whether the matter can be described in a way that does not identify the client, and understand what the service does with the text you submit. Anonymise names, account numbers, addresses and anything else that would identify a party, unless you have clear authority to do otherwise.
Disclosure and academic integrity
Law schools and examining bodies increasingly require disclosure of AI assistance, and the rules differ between institutions and between assessments. Find out what your institution requires before you use a tool, not afterwards. In practice, follow any applicable professional guidance and the directions of the court in which you appear.
Keep a record
Keep a note of which tool was used, for what task, on what date, and which authorities were independently verified. If a question ever arises about how a document was produced, a contemporaneous record is the only satisfactory answer.
The limits of this site
LEX ZED provides AI-assisted legal research and legal information. It does not provide legal advice, it does not create a lawyer-client relationship, and its output is not a substitute for the authoritative text of legislation or of a judgment. For advice on a specific matter, consult a legal practitioner admitted to practise in Zambia.
Authoritative sources
Verify anything on this page against the primary materials published by:
Related guides
- Introduction to legal research using AI — What AI research assistants are genuinely good at in a legal context, what they are structurally bad at, and how to build a workflow that uses the strengths without inheriting the weaknesses.