Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession: Becoming The AI-Enhanced Lawyer

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have given rise to concerns about its impact on the labour market, including professional occupations such as lawyers. While some have foretold the end of lawyers, we suggest that AI will enhance humans’ abilities and allow lawyers to better perform their role. While AI will reduce the cost of some elements of legal work that were previously undertaken by lawyers because AI can perform those elements more efficiently, other aspects of lawyers’ work will become more valuable. In particular while machine prediction will replace human prediction, human judgement – which includes knowing what to do with machine predictions so as to achieve a desirable outcome for the client – will be more valuable. As with other advances in technology, though, there will be a need for retraining.