Leveraging GenAI for Interpreting Legal Texts and Generating Code for Government IT Systems

Laws and regulations from The Hague are disseminated across ministries and decentralized authorities. Civil servants often require decades of experience to fully grasp how to translate their meaning into IT systems. Throughout my career at institutions such as the UWV, the Tax and Customs Administration, and the four major cities, it has become clear to me that the backbone supporting the executive branch within the government relies not solely on IT knowledge.

There is often the assumption that there is a lack of IT expertise within the government, which is unjust. It primarily concerns the knowledge and expertise of the laws and regulations that IT specialists within the government possess and how they translate these into computational rules within systems. This is what makes IT personnel within the government so crucial and difficult to replace.

GenAI can ensure a more precise and independent interpretation of laws and regulations. Let’s explore the utilization of GenAI for the interpretation of legal texts and its subsequent translation into executable code applicable in government IT systems. The aim is to enhance efficiency and accuracy in legal compliance processes while mitigating risks associated with human interpretation errors.

GenAI employs natural language processing (NLP) techniques to analyze and comprehend complex legal documents. Through advanced algorithms and machine learning models, it extracts key concepts, identifies legal requirements, and translates them into structured data. Subsequently, GenAI generates code based on the interpreted legal provisions, ensuring adherence to regulatory frameworks.

One of the primary risks associated with employing GenAI for legal interpretation is the potential for bias or misinterpretation, leading to erroneous code generation. To address this, rigorous validation procedures are implemented, including extensive testing against established legal precedents and consultation with legal experts. Additionally, continuous refinement of the AI algorithms is conducted to enhance accuracy and mitigate inherent biases.

Another risk involves the security and confidentiality of sensitive legal data processed by GenAI. Robust encryption protocols and access controls are implemented to safeguard against unauthorized access and data breaches. Compliance with data protection regulations, such as GDPR, ensures the responsible handling of personal and confidential information. GDPR audit tooling to automate and monitor 24/7 compliance has been developed as a standardized solution.

Again, this became very clear to me last Thursday when Wigo4it celebrated their cloud transformation successes. In 2020, we started improving this major IT system for the Dutch government, involving technique, processes, and culture. During Dennis and Dian’s presentation on the transformation they have undergone in this area. Not only by automating the IT production process, but also by automating their compliance rules, they are now able to be 100% compliant not just once a year when the audit committee visits, but they now know 24 hours a day that they comply with the regulations.

The adoption of GenAI for legal interpretation and code generation offers numerous benefits. Firstly, it significantly improves the efficiency of regulatory compliance processes by automating tedious tasks and reducing manual errors. Moreover, GenAI enhances the quality and consistency of legal interpretations, eliminating subjective biases inherent in human decision-making.

The use of GenAI promotes independence and transparency in legal compliance, as it removes the potential for individual interpretations that may vary among human analysts. By standardizing the interpretation process, GenAI ensures uniformity and accuracy in compliance efforts across government IT systems.

In conclusion, leveraging GenAI for interpreting legal texts and generating code for government IT systems presents a promising avenue for enhancing regulatory compliance processes. While certain risks exist, proactive mitigation strategies and continuous refinement of AI algorithms can effectively address these challenges. Overall, the adoption of GenAI offers substantial benefits in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and independence in legal compliance efforts within the public sector.

This article first appeared on Pascal’s LinkedIn page. You can check it out here.