Can AI Replace Lawyers?

The Modern Law Firm series delves into how AI can streamline your law firm — whether it’s by saving you time and money, eliminating mistakes and redundancies or making your workflow more efficient. 

As artificial intelligence (AI) gets smarter, better, faster, you might worry about what this might mean for your job. While there are many uses of AI in the legal industry, the consensus is that no, artificial intelligence will not replace lawyers. 

Let’s dive into what AI is and why it can’t replace lawyers.

What Is Artificial Intelligence? 

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology enables computers to carry out tasks that require human intelligence, such as recognizing a face or analyzing data. A subfield of computer science, AI is not new. In 1956, Cliff Shaw, Herbert Simon and Allen Newell unveiled the Logic Theorist, a Research and Development (RAND) Corporation–funded program that could problem-solve, at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence conference. Considered one of the first official uses of artificial intelligence, it helped shape the field in the years and decades to come. 

Types of AI

There are three main types of AI: 

• Narrow AI: Also known as weak AI, narrow AI can only carry out one or a small set of responsibilities. For example, an AI tool that can only recognize faces in photos won’t be useful in other applications.
• General AI: General, or Strong, AI is more a theory than an actual concept. With more human-like qualities, it can understand and learn. Every experience informs its future actions. Think of Jarvis from Iron Man. He can have normal conversations, strategize and perform several different types of tasks.
• Superintelligent AI: Just as with general AI, superintelligent AI does not exist. If it did, it would be smarter than people. 

AI Subsets

AI is a broad category that includes neural networks and machine learning. 

• Neural networks: Through interconnected nodes, just as with neurons in the brain, computer systems learn and process information. 
• Machine learning: With machine learning, computers learn and make decisions based on data. A streaming platform making recommendations based on your preferences is an example of machine learning. Within machine learning, there is deep learning, which uses large neural networks to parse through and understand big data sets. 

Why AI Can’t Replace Lawyers 

AI can complete research and eliminate redundant tasks, but it is not capable of doing a lawyer's job. Here are a few reasons why:

Law Is Complex

Law is complex. It’s not just research and writing—tasks AI can handle. Lawyers also have to go to court. To be able to successfully defend a case, AI would need to have a deep understanding of the case, the clients and the court system, which narrow AI cannot accomplish. 

Legal Professionals Bring a Human Touch

It’s not just about being able to represent clients. Lawyers, particularly in a field like immigration, build relationships with their clients. Without making a genuine connection, lawyer may not be able to represent clients to their best ability. For example, say an immigration lawyer works on establishing trust with a client. This encourages the client to open up about traumatic experiences and it helps the lawyer determine the best avenue for citizenship. AI can’t do the same. 

Too Many Gray Areas

AI can introduce too many gray areas. For example, if an AI program makes a mistake that changes the outcome of the case, who bears responsibility? Questions like these are necessary to handle and they may not satisfy clients.

The Real Threat

The bigger threat is not keeping up with technology. As tech becomes more woven into our workflows, you can risk falling behind and not remaining competitive with other law firms. Embracing AI can transform the way you work. It can help you work more efficiently, which is not just good news for your but also your clients.