The Legal Industry’s Growing Generative AI Adoption [Charts]

There is widespread awareness and increasing usage of generative AI tools like ChatGPT among lawyers, according to a LexisNexis report on the technology’s impact in the U.S., UK, Canada, and France. The International Legal Generative AI Report found that 89% of lawyers are aware of generative AI, and 41% have experimented with it in some fashion. That’s notably higher than the 61% and 34% of consumers who are aware of or experimented with generative AI, respectively. And while only 15% of lawyers have employed the tech for legal tasks so far, that percentage swells to 43% when counting those with plans in the works to do so in the future.

Legal AI Worldwide

The four countries in the survey are fairly similar in their awareness and usage of generative AI, but Canadian and French lawyers emerged as early adopters, trying generative AI more than US and UK peers. UK attorneys have also been slower to use it for legal functions than other countries. For lawyers who have deployed generative AI, the primary use case is aiding research. Nearly half utilize the tools for drafting documents, while 40% tap them to assist with email writing.

Overall, 47% of legal professionals believe generative AI will significantly transform law practice, with 92% anticipating at least some impact. This underscores perceptions of disruptive near-term potential. The country breakdowns are notable, especially for the U.S.. The UK and the U.S. have the two lower rates of lawyers using generative AI, but when it comes to believing the tech will have a significant or transformative impact on their industry, the UK at 49% almost matches Canada and France at 51% and 54%, respectively. Meanwhile, the U.S. response comes to just 39%. Still, the early-stage supportive perceptions suggest integration will expand as the technology matures. Ongoing innovation around responsibly applying generative models to legal workflows could provide a competitive edge for AI-savvy firms. How substantially generative AI transforms legal practice long-term remains to be seen.

Follow @voicebotai   Follow @erichschwartz