AI in Law

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform nearly every industry, and the legal field is no exception.

In theory, AI systems like ChatGPT or Perplexity may cut hours off projects that would have taken an attorney maybe a dozen hours without any AI assistance. This allows attorneys to cut back on billed hours, redirect energy on other aspects of their clients’ cases, and these benefits flow directly to clients.

It’s no secret that AI is an immensely powerful tool, but as we know, with great power comes even greater responsibility. Such explosive innovation has led many professionals, not just attorneys, to become far too trusting and reliant on what AI can do for our day-to-day operations.

As lawyers, we have a great deal of responsibility to ourselves and our clients, to approach the AI revolution with thoughtful caution.

AI cannot replicate human judgment.

In a nutshell, AI is a system that learns by analyzing large amounts of data to recognize patterns and make predictions or decisions based on parameters that are set by each individual user. It doesn’t possess true understanding or consciousness but it does have the ability to simulate intelligent behavior based on learned information. Its job is to generate plausible, helpful-sounding content. Sometimes it hits the mark. Other times, it misstates facts with unsettling confidence or makes up facts entirely.

Last year, a New York judge sanctioned an attorney for submitting AI-generated work product. The work product contained entirely made-up cases and misapplied existing law. The sanctioning judge warned, “Technological advances are commonplace and there is nothing inherently improper about using a reliable artificial intelligence tool for assistance… But existing rules impose a gatekeeping role on attorneys to ensure the accuracy of their filings.”

In many ways, AI has already completely saturated our day-to-day operations. At many firms, menial tasks such as summarizing emails or keeping track of billable hours are already being handled entirely by AI systems. But if you are working with a firm and feel unsure about whether AI is being used and how it’s being used, you have a right to transparency.

Ultimately, we are at a junction in the legal field where we can longer ignore AI and its effects on our world. However, it is up to each legal professional to learn how to use this tool to become better attorneys while upholding our ethical obligations to our clients.

At Brown & Charbonneau, LLP we are continuing to explore the benefits of AI and how it can be used in our practice as an effective tool for our clients and as a cost saving resource.