- AI emerges as a valuable tool for lawyers despite initial missteps.
- AI models excel at interpreting complex legal language and handling tedious tasks.
- The adoption of AI in law is driven by competition and increasing regulatory complexity.
Despite recent missteps by lawyers using generative AI, legal experts believe AI has a place in the practice of law.
The increasing complexity of the legal industry has many lawyers turning to AI for assistance.
AI to the rescue
Danielle Benecke, head of machine-learning practice at Baker McKenzie, notes that AI models excel at interpreting and generating complex legal language, a core aspect of the business.
AI tools are particularly useful for handling the legal fallout from common issues like cybersecurity incidents.
By significantly reducing the time lawyers spend navigating a client’s regulatory requirements, AI allows them to focus on strategizing the client’s response.
Cecilia Ziniti, CEO and cofounder of GC AI, predicts that AI will empower lawyers by acting as a “lawyer copilot,” tackling the tedious tasks that span the legal industry’s “very long tail.”
GPT-4: the legal AI superhero
Most AI tools built for lawyers rely on generalized large language models (LLMs), OpenAI’s GPT being the most popular.
CoCounsel, an AI legal-assistant product, uses techniques like retrieval-augmented generation and dedicated servers to reduce hallucinations and ensure regulatory compliance.
A “trust team” of lawyers and AI engineers at Thomson Reuters works to ensure CoCounsel provides accurate answers.
The adoption of AI in the legal industry is driven by the competitive nature of the field and the increasing complexity of government regulations.
Lawyers have a professional responsibility to avoid inflating billable hours, and AI can help them make the most of their time.
In the near future, not using AI for legal work may be akin to refusing to use online search today.
