Latvia's Legal AI: Training Users to Question, Not Just Accept, AI's Answers; Estonia Leads on AI Literacy

In Latvia, a platform called Lexu AI is aiming to bridge the gap between artificial intelligence and the legal profession, ensuring that AI tools provide truthful rather than fabricated answers. Developed by a team that began tackling this issue two years ago, the platform is now integrated into the study process at the Faculty of Law at the University of Latvia and is used daily by law firms and state administration institutions.

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We often lag in understanding how to use it.

Mārtiņš Odobērs, a proponent of the platform, highlights that the core problem isn't the technology itself but a lagging understanding of how to use it effectively. He draws parallels to other professions: a doctor relying blindly on AI risks patient health, and a journalist publishing AI-generated content without fact-checking becomes a purveyor of disinformation. For lawyers, he warns, blindly trusting AI-generated arguments without verifying sources can jeopardize a client's fate.

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A lawyer who blindly trusts AI-generated arguments without checking references risks the client's fate – unfortunately, it must be admitted that this happens more often than one would like.

Odobērs stresses that AI often errs not by making obvious mistakes, but by presenting plausible-sounding falsehoods, making them particularly dangerous. Lexu AI was designed with this in mind; if the system cannot find evidence, it does not provide an answer. This distinction between using AI and critically verifying its output is crucial. While the Baltic Sea region is beginning to recognize this, Estonia is taking a more systematic approach.

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AI errs not foolishly, but convincingly. And that is precisely why people believe it. And that is the most dangerous thing.

Estonia launched a nationwide AI Leap program in 2025, aiming to integrate AI literacy into its national curriculum. This program includes access to AI tools, teacher training, and a public-private governance model. The initiative prioritizes not just AI tool usage but also developing advanced AI and media literacy skills to strengthen critical thinking and democracy, a distinction that Latvia has not yet formally articulated in its policy documents.

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The difference between the ability to use AI and the ability to critically verify the results provided by AI is crucial.