Artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming various industries, improving accuracy, decision-making and efficiency.

AI holds great promise for streamlining processes and augmenting legal professionals' work, but a cautious approach to implementation is necessary to ensure maximum security and compliance.

There are potential disadvantages of AI in law if not used responsibly, and there are steps legal professionals can take to ensure they're using AI in a suitable manner.

The potential disadvantages of AI in law

AI undoubtedly brings many positives to the working landscape across the globe. From generating efficiencies to performing tasks with pinpoint accuracy, it's no surprise that many industries worldwide are adopting AI — including law.

But, with its range of benefits come potential pitfalls for legal professionals. So, what are these potential disadvantages of AI in law?

Bias and discrimination 

AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they're trained on. If the historical data used to train AI models contains bias or discriminatory patterns, AI can perpetuate these and lead to unjust outcomes.

Fairness and justice are paramount in legal practice, so the risk of bias while using software that could sway decisions is a significant concern.

Lack of transparency

Some AI models make it unclear how they arrive at their judgements or conclusions.

This lack of transparency can undermine a legal professional's ability to justify their arguments or reasonings, potentially lowering trust in the legal system.

Ethical concerns

Ethical implications of AI in the legal industry can raise several questions. After all, should AI be trusted with tasks that require human judgement?

Plus, who becomes accountable or responsible when AI systems make errors or cause harm? Deploying AI in sensitive legal matters demands ethical deliberation and care.

Data privacy and security

AI relies on a vast amount of data to be effective. It often requires users to input data to get the most from their systems, including potentially sensitive information about individuals or organisations.

Legal professionals must ensure robust data privacy and security measures to prevent unauthorised access, breaches or misuse of sensitive legal data.

Potential impact on careers

AI provides the potential to automate repetitive and time-consuming legal tasks, opening up the possibility of its introduction impacting the legal profession as a whole.

AI could, in time, displace many of those in lower-skilled legal jobs. However, many still believe that human interpretation in these roles will still be required.

Approaching AI with care

Despite the potential risks and pitfalls associated with AI, it's essential to recognise its potential benefits to legal professionals when handled with care.

Here are a few ways legal professionals can ensure safety when integrating AI.

Managed services

Partnering with a provider that offers managed services can help you navigate the risks associated with implementing AI into your day-to-day.

These services can provide expertise, monitoring and ongoing support to ensure the responsible use of AI technology. Leveraging the knowledge and experience of specialists means you can mitigate the risks associated with AI and ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards.

Specialised tools

Specialised software such as RelativityOne offers a range of AI tools to level up your litigation processes. Not only this, but it can also provide critical safeguards when integrating AI into legal workflows.

These tools allow legal professionals to retain control over AI systems, extracting the benefits while ensuring processes align with ethical guidelines and legal obligations.

Leveraging this software enables legal professionals to generate substantial efficiencies whilst remaining compliant and keeping personal and organisational data safe.

Training and education

Investing in sufficient training and education can safeguard you and your colleagues from the potential pitfalls of using AI in the legal industry. 

By understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI technology, you can make informed decisions on when and how to use AI in your processes.

A deeper understanding of AI allows you to evaluate AI-generated outcomes, use tools to generate efficiencies and accurately interpret the legal implications of use.