Welcome Remarks by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of Ministry of Law, and Ministry of Social and Family Development, at TechLawFest 2025

10 SEP 2025

Honourable Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon

Justice Aidan Xu

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

(A) Greetings and warm welcome

1. A very good morning to everyone, and a warm welcome to TechLaw.Fest 2025.

2. Over the past decade, TechLaw.Fest has grown into a global platform that brings together lawyers, technologists, academics, and students. Together, we explore how law and technology can shape a more resilient, responsive, and just society.

3. It is indeed my privilege to join you for the 10th edition of this conference.

(B) Personal introduction

4. As someone that is newly appointed to the Ministry of Law, I am deeply honoured to engage with you at this intersection of law and technology.

5. Some of you may know that I also hold a concurrent appointment at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). Through this role, I have witnessed how thoughtfully designed systems can positively impact lives.

6. For instance, MSF’s Case Connect platform enables caseworkers to coordinate support across agencies for low-income families facing complex challenges. Clients who no longer need to repeat their stories or submit documents multiple times, benefitted from streamlined, coordinated care.

7. The Social Report Companion, MSF’s first GenAI tool, developed with GovTech, helps frontline officers convert quick notes into professional reports, saving an estimated 400 hours per week when fully deployed. This frees up valuable bandwidth for deeper, more meaningful connection and engagement with our service clients, and hopefully resulting in better outcomes for them.

8. These experiences have deepened my excitement about how technology, law, and social causes can converge to create new possibilities. Together, they can transform the lived experiences of people we serve.

9. In the legal sector, AI presents significant opportunities to advance access to justice by enabling legal professionals to deliver services more efficiently, reduce administrative burdens, and potentially lower costs for clients. AI tools can also help bridge information gaps, making legal concepts more accessible and understandable to those who need them.

The big picture: AI as “a defining technology of our time”

10. This year’s theme, “Reimagining Legal in the Digital Age”, reflects both urgency as well as opportunity.

11. Urgency, because technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace. Our legal systems must keep up.

12. Opportunity, because the legal and technology sectors are not just observers, but active participants in this transformation. As new technologies emerge, legal professionals are called upon to navigate complex legal questions that will arise. At the same time, these advancements create tools that enhance productivity, broaden access to services, and reshape the way work is done.

13. As Prime Minister Wong highlighted in his National Day Rally speech this year, AI is not just another tool; it is in fact a defining technology that will fundamentally reshape how we live, work, and relate to one another.

14. Singapore is committed to harnessing AI to drive productivity and create new value across our economy – from complex infrastructure to everyday business operations.

15. Legal professionals play a critical role in this journey. By navigating regulations, advising on risks, resolving disputes, and shaping norms, you give enterprises the confidence to innovate responsibly. Equally important are the legaltech providers and innovators who build these tools that support your work and improve the delivery of legal services.

Lawyering in the digital age

(A) Law needs to be dynamic

16. In this digital age, society is evolving faster than before – in its norms, values and expectations.

17. The law must therefore be a living system. It cannot remain static and reactive. It must be dynamic, forward-looking, and continually evolving alongside society and technology.

18. Singapore has taken steps to refresh our legal frameworks, where needed, and will continue to do so.

19. For instance, on the community and family justice front, MinLaw and the Judiciary work closely together to make family proceedings simpler, more cost and time efficient, and less acrimonious for all parties. Technology has been integrated into court processes to streamline the service journey. In straightforward divorce or probate cases, members of the public can use guided questionnaires through our Divorce eService and Probate eService to generate and file court papers online, reducing the need for in-person trips to the courthouse.

20. We have also recently established the new Maintenance Enforcement Division, where our officers are empowered to conduct conciliation on maintenance arrears, obtain information from third parties like banks, and submit reports to the Courts for their consideration when making enforcement orders.

21. Furthermore, we are also taking steps to reinforce trust and safety in a digital society. While Singapore is one of the safest places in the world offline, we face very real risks online. A study showed that 74% of Singaporeans encountered online harm in 2024, up from 65% in 2023. Amongst the most common are cyberbullying and material that incites racial or religious tension. Such harms can cause serious and lasting consequences for victims, especially as technology enables harmful content to spread quickly and widely.

22. We have responded with criminal offences targeting online harm, new laws to regulate platforms, and are investing in technical measures such as deepfake detection and watermarking.

23. Looking ahead, we will establish a new Online Safety Commission to provide timely relief to victims. We will also empower victims to hold wrongdoers accountable in court and strengthen mechanisms to identify perpetrators who hide behind online anonymity, with legislation to be introduced in the coming months following strong public support in our consultations.

(B) Businesses and members of public as users of technology

24. Singapore is one of the most digitally connected societies in the world. With a population of about 6 million but nearly 10 million mobile subscriptions, many individuals own more than one device.

25. Singaporeans are also among the highest per-capita users of GenAI globally. In fact, more than half of our workforce already uses GenAI tools in their workflows.

26. With GenAI, many can access legal information at their fingertips, or even draft legal documents on their own.

27. For instance, I recently experimented with a GenAI tool to draft a tenancy agreement, for experimentation’s sake. Within seconds, it prompted me for details and generated a draft. At the same time, it also caveated that it was not a lawyer, and recommended that the agreement should be reviewed by a qualified professional to ensure compliance with local laws and protection of both parties’ interests.

28. My own personal reflection is that this brings about opportunities, but at the same time, it also calls for greater responsibility. Now a big disclaimer, because the following lines will sound like they were lifted from the Spiderman movie franchise, but I assure you, they are not, and they are also not generated from some GenAI platforms.

29. Opportunities, because GenAI can boost productivity. Businesses can manage routine tasks like drafting documents for day-to-day transactions, while legaltech providers can create more sophisticated tools for the legal services market.

30. Greater responsibility, because GenAI is ultimately an algorithm, it does not have a human mind.

31. As users, we must then recognise that GenAI does not replace professional judgement. We remain accountable for how we use it and what we use it for.

32. GenAI providers must therefore design systems that are safe, transparent, and trustworthy. These systems should be grounded in accountability, human-centric values, and robust safeguards that serve the public interest.

33. As for legal professionals, your expertise, ethical judgement, and ability to navigate complex issues remain indispensable. GenAI may assist in drafting or research, but the final work product, and responsibility for it, remains yours.

34. Ultimately, thoughtful adoption is key. Our legal framework must balance the convenience and efficiency of AI, with safeguarding consumer interests and protecting the integrity of legal practice.

35. MinLaw is committed to supporting legal professionals in harnessing the full potential of AI.

36. We have developed the Guide for Using GenAI in the Legal Sector. It is now open for public consultation on MinLaw’s website until the end of September, and we welcome your feedback.

37. We have also launched the pilot of the Legal Innovation and Future‑Readiness Transformation initiative (or “LIFT” in short). This initiative provides change management support to Singapore law practices in their legaltech adoption, including AI tools. In this pilot phase, we will start with our smaller law practices, with PwC as our appointed legaltech consultant.

38. We are also introducing LegalTech GoWhere to grow our legaltech ecosystem and create more avenues for discovery and collaboration.

39. Last month, we kicked things off with a meet-up of around 30 legaltech players.

40. Tomorrow, I understand that there will be a “legaltech battle” and “speed networking” session at the MBS Saraca Room, at 2 to 3pm – so this is a plug for all of you to join us.

41. Stay tuned for a series of high‑cadence events where you can connect, innovate and discuss the future of legaltech with fellow legaltech enthusiasts.

42. Additionally, I understand that MinLaw and SMU will soon be embarking on a project to build a next-generation, open empirical legal database for Singapore, with details to be announced very soon.

43. To conclude, as we begin this conference, I encourage all of us to use this platform to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and explore practical solutions together.

44. On that note, I wish all of you a meaningful, energising, and productive TechLaw.Fest 2025.

45. Thank you very much.

Last updated on 10 September 2025