ANALYSIS: Legal Workers Use AI for Research, Despite Red Flags

The viability of using generative artificial intelligence to conduct legal research has been heavily critiqued in the legal industry. But that hasn’t stopped lawyers and other legal workers from doing it anyway. Most legal professionals who have used generative AI in their practice have used the technology for legal research, according to data from Bloomberg Law’s 2024 Legal Operations and Technology survey.

Respondents were asked how they have used generative AI in their practice, and were presented with a list of possible legal tasks, along with an option to respond that they haven’t used generative AI for work at all. Most respondents (54%) chose that option, saying that they have not used generative AI for work purposes.

Among the 46% of respondents who have used AI for work, legal research was the most common way they reported using the technology in their practice. In fact, the use case more than doubled any of the other tasks on the list, except for drafting/templating communication (46%).

At an initial glance, the prevalence of using AI for legal research in early 2024 may appear surprising. There have been numerous headlines spotlighting attorney blunders while using generative AI for legal research that resulted in fake or improper citations being submitted to the court. And as a result, many courts are grappling with how to prevent—and punish—these instances. This recent push to sanction attorneys who file pleadings with AI-generated “caselaw” would seem to discourage legal professionals from using the technology for legal research.

However, this type of scrutiny is all a necessary part of the process of technology adoption, especially in the legal industry. It’s worth remembering that just a few years ago, legal professionals had to confront eDiscovery technology and the implications of using technology-assisted review in conversations similar to the ones happening over generative AI now.

The reality is, the usability concerns currently surrounding generative AI-powered legal research cannot be adequately addressed until the practice is adequately explored—which law firms, in-house legal departments, and even courts are currently doing.

Results from the 2024 Legal Operations and Technology survey will be posted to Bloomberg Law’s Surveys, Reports, and Data Analysis page, which contains reports of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 versions of the survey.

Bloomberg Law subscribers can find related content in our Legal Operations page and In Focus: Artificial Intelligence page.

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