Rechtskommunikation im Umbruch

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and algorithmic systems are transforming law from a text-based domain into one shaped by data and algorithms. Although legal experts can expand their level of professional specialization through AI, they risk losing their expertise if they lack the ability to use, manage, and govern AI responsibly. This profound transformation raises questions about evolving practices in specialized communication: among experts within a field and from different disciplines, between experts and laypersons, and in human-machine interaction across technical, institutional, legal, and ethical contexts. It also affects socio-technical and socio-linguistic aspects, as well as specialized communication and competence requirements. The concept of AI literacy has so far been a desideratum in specialized communication research. This article therefore develops and operationalizes a competence compass for AI legal literacy (AILL) focusing on specialized communication at (1) horizontal, (2) vertical, (3) systemic, and (4) functional levels, and (5) the discursive intersection, considering attitudes, behavior and knowledge.