The emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT is beginning to create a new path to boosting productivity for many people, including lawyers in the United Kingdom.
The Productivity Issues in the UK
Legal Futures Associate reported on Tuesday that productivity in the UK has been growing at a slow pace post-COVID. As a result, the country currently trails behind some other advanced economies of the world in terms of productivity growth.
The report attributed the poor growth to the lack of investment in technology infrastructure, research and development in the UK. However, it appears that both the government and even legal organisations in the country are beginning to realise the lapse and are now embracing emerging technologies, including AI, to improve work practices.
One company leading the move in the UK’s legal sector is Allen & Overy. The firm is widely considered one of the United Kingdom’s leading law firms, with 2,500 staff based in London.
Earlier this year, Allen & Overy partnered with a startup backed by ChatGPT creator OpenAI to create an artificial intelligence chatbot that could improve the productivity of lawyers by handling certain legal tasks.
What Can AI Do For Lawyers?
The Allen & Overy chatbot called Harvey has reportedly been deployed across 43 offices of Allen & Overy, handling legal tasks, including contract analysis, due diligence and regulatory compliance. The chatbot was described as a “game changer” by the company’s head of markets innovation group, David Wakeling.
Wakeling said Harvey was asked Harvey about 40,000 questions by 3,500 lawyers during its trial, and it delivered “some amazing results.”
Besides A&O’s chatbot, there have been other widely reported instances where lawyers made use of AI tools.
In February 2023, Judge Juan Manuel Padilla Garcia, who presides over the First Circuit Court in the city of Cartagena, admitted to using ChatGPT as an assistance to address a legal case between a health insurance company and the guardian of an autistic child. Garcia not only asked legal questions but also included ChatGPT’s full responses in his ruling, combined with his personal thoughts.
The Hurdle to AI Adoption in the Legal Sector
Despite the breakthroughs with AI algorithms and their proficiency in automating different tasks, some lawyers and legal organisations remain apprehensive about ChatGPT and other AI tools for reasons relating to security and privacy.
Given that data privacy and compliance are highly regarded in the legal sector, it’s natural for some lawyers to grow concerned about inputting sensitive data into AI tools like ChatGPT, which they cannot control.
