Extract from Justin Smith’s article “Bringing Generative AI to the Judiciary with Judge Allison Goddard”
As generative AI reshapes industries across the globe, the legal profession is facing a pivotal moment, where attorneys and judges alike must partner technical awareness with thoughtful, responsible integration.
Few figures embody this shift more than Judge Allison Goddard, a federal magistrate judge who has emerged as a leading voice on the use of AI in the judiciary. With a career rooted in both technology and law, she brings a rare blend of hands-on experimentation and judicial insight to the conversation—pushing forward the idea that technological fluency is now essential for lawyers and judges alike.
Judge Goddard’s work is helping to normalize the use of generative AI in courtrooms and chambers, offering a pragmatic roadmap for how these tools can enhance—not replace—human judgment. Whether using AI to accelerate legal research, support pro se litigants, or manage large caseloads with limited resources, she sees immense potential for these technologies to improve access to justice and reduce cognitive load for overburdened courts. Judge Goddard spoke with Everlaw about generative AI, privilege logs, and more.
