TRAIL is proud to be part of the project to develop Singapore law large language model, steering legal sector into AI future

In a landmark move for legal innovation, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Google are joining forces to bring the power of artificial intelligence directly to the practice of law. NUS and Google plan to establish a joint research and innovation centre, bringing together resources and technology to pursue experimental or applied AI projects across diverse domains such as education, public health and law.

One of the centre’s flagship projects will be the development of a Singapore law-specific large language model (LLM) on Google Cloud, a collaborative effort among the NUS Faculty of Law (NUS Law), the NUS AI Institute and NUS Computing. Unlike generic AI models, this domain-specific LLM will be rooted in local statutory interpretation, case precedents, and the unique nuances of Singapore’s legal system.

By doing so, it aims to overcome the limitations of off-the-shelf AI tools, providing a transformative technology platform for the legal industry. The project aims to provide the core technology for an AI assistant supporting legal research, with potential to enhance productivity and access to contextually-relevant legal information across law firms, the judiciary and public legal education.

Announced during the NUS School of Computing’s 50th Anniversary Gala on 1 August 2025, the centre will be dedicated to applying frontier technologies for public good. Among the existing outcomes of the longstanding partnership between NUS and Google has been the creation of the world’s first AI-powered legal journal podcast with NotebookLM.

Read: NUS Law launches world-first AI-powered legal podcast to open up law to the public

Professor Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology), said, “The joint centre brings together NUS’ leadership in AI and multidisciplinary research and Google’s deep research expertise, advanced technologies and tools, as well as well-established pathways for research translation and deployment.” He voiced confidence in the joint efforts, adding, “Together, we are well-positioned to drive AI breakthroughs that will transform lives, reshape industries, and advance the future of education, healthcare, and beyond”.

Certainly, the legal community and the public stand to benefit: An AI assistant could reduce research time and improve the accuracy of legal references, empowering users to navigate Singapore law with greater precision.

Serene Sia, Country Director, Singapore and Malaysia, Google Cloud, said, “By combining NUS’ world-class multidisciplinary research capabilities with Google’s world-class AI research and AI-optimised cloud infrastructure, this joint centre is poised to steer safe and responsible AI development and accelerate scientific progress that transforms public health, learning experiences, and other vital fields.”

The joint centre will also offer a rapid prototyping sandbox—a controlled and flexible cloud-based environment—for experimentation, testing and validation of the solutions developed under each of the domains, before they are deployed or scaled in real-world settings.

More news on the partnership can be found here. This partnership has also been covered in The Business Times.