Extract from Jack Womack’s article “How Many Legal Jobs Will be Affected by AI? Law Firms Can’t Agree”
While most law firms are taking steps to ensure they are well positioned to capitalise on the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, few agree on how much impact it is likely to have.
A survey of a selection of the U.K.’s top 30 law firms by revenue found a wide range of views when asked what proportion of jobs are likely to be altered by AI in the next five years.
A number of firms, including Fieldfisher, Freshfields, Kennedys, and Macfarlanes, all stated that they believed every single job at their firm would incorporate or be altered by generative AI in the next five years.
Meanwhile, firms such as Bird & Bird believe less than half of their roles internally will be affected, while Addleshaw Goddard, Charles Russell Speechlys and CMS put the figure at between 50 and 75%.
This is affecting the way firms are implementing the technology, with some firms continuing to trial generative AI programmes while others remain more sceptical of adopting the tech firmwide.
