Implementing AI is challenging for professions where progress often means figuring out how to get your printer to work. Many lawyers are waiting until they have developed a perfect implementation strategy. They wind up doing nothing.
Lawyers can and should benefit from AI today rather than waiting to develop the world’s greatest policy. Until that perfect policy arrives, follow two rules:
- Never rely on anything AI tells you about crucial issues.
- Always ask AI for advice on crucial issues.
AI does not merely save time. It can make your work product better. The time to get these benefits is now.
At the same time, safety matters. Conceptualizing AI as a sort of super research assistant can help. Wouldn’t you always verify any research assistant work product before using it for anything crucial? You don’t want your memo to be a Shakespearean sonnet about the existential angst of a CPA.
Can it be malpractice to fail to use AI, as people as wise as Carolyn Elefant have suggested? Not today, and probably never. It’s just a giant missed opportunity.
Pro Tip: Explore specialized AI-powered legal research tools like Lexis+ AI or Westlaw Edge. These tools can help you find what you need faster and more safely.
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