Alaska: AI rules for lawyers

What this means for lawyers

The Alaska Bar Association has a formal opinion on generative AI (Ethics Opinion 2025-1, adopted by the Board of Governors on 23 April 2025). It applies the existing Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct (ARPC) rather than creating new rules.

Verify all AI output before relying on it, especially citations and quotes. The opinion says lawyers remain responsible for their own work product, whether a human nonlawyer or AI drafted or researched it. It ties this to ARPC 1.1, 1.3, 3.1, 3.3, 4.1 and 8.4.

Before putting client confidences or secrets into a generative AI tool, review the tool's policies on data retention, data sharing and self-learning. To use a self-learning tool outside a closed system, fully anonymise the inputs unless the client gives informed consent.

Check court rules and orders yourself. The opinion tells lawyers to confirm whether and when any court rule or order requires disclosure of AI use. No Alaska court rule or order of that kind was found.

As at 31 October 2026.

Telling the court and the client

• Tell the courtUnclear

  Court disclosure: no rule found. No Alaska state court rule or Supreme Court order, and no District of Alaska general order or local rule, requiring disclosure or certification of AI use was found. The Bar opinion says lawyers should check for any such requirement.

  Client disclosure/consent: depends. Opinion 2025-1 says the duty to tell a client depends on the circumstances (ARPC 1.2, 1.4). A lawyer should answer a client's questions candidly.

  Proactive disclosure may be needed when AI is used in a novel way or for substantive work, is a significant expense, or would breach the engagement terms or the client's reasonable expectations. Informed consent is needed where an AI tool may disclose confidences to third parties.

  Ethics Opinion 2025-1, Generative Artificial Intelligence & The Practice of Law

  Court Rules index

  Supreme Court Orders index

  General Orders and Local Rules
• Tell the clientVaries

  Same basis and sources as above.