IU Kwan Yuen (“Kwan”) is a barrister whose research examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping legal practice, access to justice, and regulatory framework.

In early 2023, Kwan co-authored the working paper “ChatGPT by OpenAI: The End of Litigation Lawyers?” which tested ChatGPT’s ability to draft demand letters and pleadings, with the aim of raising awareness of its implications for litigation practice. The paper was later cited in the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration’s guide AI Decision-Making and the Courts (Dec 2023) and listed as a scholarly article on two U.S. law school websites.

Kwan subsequently co-authored the conference paper “Democratizing Financial Knowledge with ChatGPT by OpenAI” which was presented at the 11th Conference on Asia and Pacific Economies co-organized by ADBI and XJTLU. The paper explored how AI can democratize financial knowledge and was later featured on Duke’s FinReg Blog.

In 2024, Kwan and Ziyue Zhou published a research paper: “Catalyst for Common Law Evolution: Experiment with ChatGPT and a Hypothetical Common Law Jurisdiction” (Asian Journal of Law and Economics, 2024; HKU Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2024/01). This research examined whether ChatGPT can simulate the evolution of common law in a fictional jurisdiction known as the “Matrix Kingdom”. Kwan presented this work at the 8th Annual Conference of Law and Society in China and the 4th International Congress on Predictive Justice.

Kwan’s interests in technology and law extend beyond AI. His research also examines how legal and regulatory institutions engage with technological innovation. His works have been published in the Asian Journal of Law and Economics and the International Cybersecurity Law Review. In addition, he has served as a peer reviewer for research on technology and law in academic journals published by Nature Portfolio, Springer Nature, and Elsevier. 

In total, Kwan’s publications have received more than 140 citations.

Beyond academia, Kwan actively promotes legal technology. He produced an AI-and-law music album titled “My Lord, My Lady” which translates landmark cases such as Donoghue v Stevenson into songs. He also developed a free “AI Legal Translator” to reduce barriers to legal translation, based on his conference paper “AI-Powered Legal Translation: Can ChatGPT Facilitate the Development of Chinese Common Law?”. Kwan serves on the Digital Transformation Committee of SidebySide (善導會), inspired by Mr. Clement Lee and Ms. Anthea Lee's insights on the transformative role of AI in fostering social inclusion. Kwan has shared his insights on AI with diverse audiences, including SidebySide, law enforcement, and universities. 

Kwan also served as a Contract Marshal at the Court of First Instance (12 months) and as a Judge Marshal at both the Court of Appeal (2 months) and the District Court (nearly one month). Beyond technology and law, he channels his analogue side as an avid collector of antiquarian law books.

Kwan is currently practising law while continuing his AI and law research led by Prof. Christopher To, alongside engaging in discussions on the subject with Mr. Albert Leung.