When my co- editors (Goh Yihan and Andrew Phang) and I began work on the first edition of Law and Technology in Singapore, two forces loomed large. One was the steady advance of technology into nearly every aspect of daily life. The other was the COVID-19 pandemic, which starkly illustrated the risks of a legal profession—and a legal system—unprepared for digital disruption. That edition sought to offer a primer for students and practitioners, mapping the evolving interface between law and technology in Singapore.
This second edition emerges in a different but no less challenging context. The pandemic may have receded, but the pace of technological change has only accelerated. In particular, the advent of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) and the growing significance of cryptoassets have prompted new questions about the nature of law and legal practice. These developments, among others, motivated a substantial revision of the first edition and the addition of several new chapters.
Rethinking the Interface of Law and Technology
As in the first edition, we begin with foundational questions: What technologies matter, and how should they be understood in a legal context? The opening chapters seek to demystify terms like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the metaverse, providing readers with a conceptual baseline. These are not exhaustive technical treatments, but accessible overviews that foreground the legal implications of emerging technologies.
The book then moves from the technological landscape to the practice of law. Chapters in this section examine how courts, law firms, and legal educators are adapting—or should adapt—to a changing environment. This includes an assessment of the tools and platforms that support legal work, as well as broader reflections on the skills and ethical sensibilities required of lawyers today.
A chapter on legal education, authored by deans or former deans of all three Singapore law schools and the Singapore Institute of Legal Education, engages candidly with the challenges of integrating technology into the curriculum. As one of the co-authors, I can attest that we saw our task not simply as updating syllabi but as reimagining what it means to prepare lawyers for a digital future.
Technology as a Driver of Doctrinal Change
The most substantial portion of the book is devoted to substantive areas of law. Here, the impact of technology is not uniform. In some areas—contract, tort, property—longstanding principles retain their force but require reinterpretation in light of new phenomena. What does consent mean in a world of algorithmic contracts? Can cryptoassets be the subject of a trust? How should courts assign liability in accidents involving autonomous vehicles?
Other areas—banking law, company law, financial regulation—are undergoing more rapid transformation. Chapters in this section engage with the regulatory frameworks emerging around fintech, digital currencies, and the use of AI in financial services. The aim is not only to describe current law but also to identify normative tensions and policy considerations.
New chapters on the metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) explore the legal challenges of virtual environments, while updates to the intellectual property chapter consider whether AI can be an author or inventor. These contributions do not pretend to resolve all such questions, but they seek to frame them in analytically useful ways.
Procedural and Regulatory Challenges
The final section of the book considers how technology is affecting procedural and regulatory law. Cybercrime, data protection, and electronic evidence are now core areas of legal concern. Chapters on civil and criminal procedure assess how technology can support access to justice while also noting the risks of over-reliance on automation. For example, while AI may enhance efficiency in case management, it is unlikely to replace the human judgement required for fair adjudication—for the time being, at least.
The closing chapters on public law and conflict of laws consider some of the deeper structural and constitutional implications of technological change. How should legal systems respond to cross-border digital disputes? Can public law address the power of platform companies that transcend national boundaries? These chapters emphasise the need for both doctrinal flexibility and institutional imagination.
Looking Ahead
A recurring theme across the chapters is the inadequacy of static legal frameworks in a dynamic technological environment. The contributors—drawn from academia, practice, and public service—acknowledge the resilience of many areas of Singapore law, but also identify points where statutory or doctrinal reform may be required.
Notably, the book avoids technological determinism. While recognising the transformative power of digital tools, it also underscores the continuing importance of professional judgement, ethical reasoning, and institutional context. Law’s role is not to chase technological trends, but to channel them in ways that promote justice and protect fundamental values.
This second edition is not a definitive account of law and technology in Singapore—such a project would be out of date before it reached the printer. Instead, it offers a snapshot of a legal system in transition, and a set of tools for those who wish to understand, navigate, and help shape that transition. As with technology itself, we anticipate that future editions will be necessary. For now, we hope that this book will serve as a useful starting point for students, practitioners, and scholars alike.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence, personal data, public law, private law
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Simon Chesterman is David Marshall Professor and Vice Provost (Educational Innovation) at the National University of Singapore, where he is also the founding Dean of NUS College. He serves as Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore and Editor of the Asian Journal of International Law.
Email: chesterman@nus.edu.sg