Ethical Factors To Artificial Intelligence In The Legal Industry

Artificial intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, has great potential to increase efficiency, accuracy, and cost savings within the legal industry. But the ability to make decisions autonomously without any human involvement has caused concern in some legal circles as to the ethical implications. Specifically, a literal artificial decision does not apply the same critical thinking, intuition, and professional judgement traditionally practiced by a seasoned lawyer. While the point is valid, it is important to first consider how AI is transforming routine tasks in legal firms. AI in a law practice would use rules based logic developed with attorneys to abbreviate labor intensive tasks, such as contract review, where items of concern would be brought to the attention of a practicing lawyer for review.