It goes without saying that the internet has seen an increase in individuals doing their own online medical research to self-diagnose or confirm what their doctor has told them, legal research as a self-rep or to confirm what their lawyer has told them, and likewise for other professional advice. Artificial intelligence is the next step in that process.
Lawyers Mutual, a professional liability insurance company for lawyers in North Carolina, recently put out an article titled: The Rise of the AI-Assisted Client. The article discusses how lawyers should respond to clients who show up with AI-generated documents. The author’s conclusion:
Like it or not, generative AI is now part of the lawyer-client relationship. Clients are going to continue using these tools because they are easy to access, inexpensive, and capable of producing work product that appears sophisticated and authoritative. The challenge for lawyers is not learning how to eliminate AI from the practice of law but learning how to responsibly manage its growing presence in client interactions. Lawyers who approach these situations with professionalism, curiosity, clear communication, and sound judgment will be in the best position to protect both their clients and themselves.
Lawyers everywhere are dealing with AI-related issues, not just in their own and their opposite party’s research and drafting but also with respect to their own clients and their AI-based research and drafting. In the end, this is nothing more than a new dynamic to the lawyer / client relationship. But for that relationship to be successful, this aspect has to be managed.