Cultural Resistance and Shadow AI Usage at Biglaw

Note: This article is just one of 60+ sections from our full report titled: The 2024 Legal AI Retrospective - Key Lessons from the Past Year. Please download the full report to check any citations.

Cultural Resistance and Shadow AI Usage

There is a growing cultural divide between traditional legal practices and AI-assisted workflows, leading to potential conflicts and unauthorized AI usage. Some members of a team might be ready to adopt a new technology, but getting buy-in from the rest of the partnership can be a long and cumbersome process. Difficulty in proving ROI to secure budget was cited by 22% of respondents to a 2024 survey.[132]

In 2024, it was reported that about one-quarter of law firm and corporate legal department respondents had used public AI tools like ChatGPT.[133]

These concerns highlight the need for careful implementation of AI in legal practice, with robust ethical guidelines, security measures, and ongoing human oversight. Law firms must strike a balance between leveraging AI's benefits and maintaining the integrity and quality of legal services. Further research is needed to develop best practices and regulatory frameworks that ensure the responsible use of AI in the legal industry.

Nearly half (48%) of all (non-legal) desk workers would be uncomfortable admitting to their manager that they used AI for common workplace tasks.[134]

The top reasons for workers' discomfort are:

1) feeling like using AI is cheating

2) fear of being seen as less competent

3) fear of being seen as lazy[135]

The authors of this report believe these fears are exacerbated within the legal industry, but that isn't to say that the usage isn't happening at all.