Extract from Isha Marathe’s article “Attorney Education Still the Biggest Hurdle to AI, Machine-Learning Adoption”
With the unprecedented growth of artificial intelligence and machine learning over the past year, it isn’t difficult to imagine that legal tech providers from every arena are trying to further incorporate the technology into their tools.
At the same time, they are dealt with the challenging feat of advertising these tools to an industry that, in spite of its ambitions, notoriously trails behind in terms of tech adoption. And as more offerings push to legal professionals to incorporate AI and machine learning into their workflows, the technology’s strengths and weaknesses are becoming increasingly apparent.
The Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Report put out by the Berkeley Research Group (BRG), Relativity and the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) surveyed 242 respondents over Fall 2022 to gauge their use of AI and machine-learning tools. Among the respondents, 35 were attorneys, 25 were consultants, 119 were litigation/practice support professionals, and 61 were paralegals, while 49% of respondents worked in e-discovery.
The survey found a pronounced split in attitudes around AI and machine learning between law firms and legal departments. And aside from cost of adoption, the most prominent barrier shared by all legal professionals when it comes to embracing AI and machine learning is meaningful tech education.
