Man with Machine: AI and the future of law in India

One of the most pressing challenges in legal practice is the sheer volume of documentation. From contracts to case files, the burden of reviewing and summarising documents is immense. AI tools can now analyse and summarise thousands of pages in minutes, dramatically reducing the time spent on document review.

Legal research, another time-intensive task, is also being revolutionised. AI can sift through vast databases of case law, statutes, and legal commentary to identify relevant precedents and insights. This not only speeds up the process but also ensures a more comprehensive and accurate output.

Drafting, especially of routine contracts and pleadings, is another area where AI shines. With contract lifecycle management tools powered by AI, lawyers can automate repetitive drafting tasks, track changes, and ensure compliance with legal standards. This frees up valuable time for more strategic and creative legal work.

Perhaps most significantly, AI can process and analyse case law at a scale no human can match. While no lawyer can read every judgment ever passed, a well-trained AI model can. This capability allows lawyers to access insights from a broader spectrum of jurisprudence, enhancing the depth and quality of legal arguments.

Ethical and Regulatory Concerns

However, the integration of AI into legal practice is not without its challenges. One major concern is the source of data used to train AI models. If proprietary or copyrighted material is used without permission, it raises serious intellectual property issues [3]. Legal AI tools must be trained on public or licensed datasets to ensure compliance and avoid litigation.

Another critical question is liability. If an AI tool provides a legal opinion that turns out to be flawed, who is responsible? Can such output be considered a legal opinion at all? These questions underscore the need for clear regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines governing the use of AI in law.

India currently lacks a dedicated legal framework for AI. While the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and NITI Aayog have proposed ethical principles for responsible AI, including transparency, accountability, and non-discrimination, these remain largely advisory [1]. The recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, is a step forward in regulating data use, but it does not yet address the full scope of AI’s legal implications.

Impact on the Legal Profession

Despite fears of AI replacing lawyers, the reality is quite the opposite. AI is not here to supplant legal professionals but to empower them. By automating routine tasks, AI allows lawyers to focus on higher-order thinking, strategy, argumentation, and client advocacy.

Time saved on research and drafting can be redirected toward building stronger cases and offering more nuanced legal advice. The level of lawyering is elevated, not diminished, by AI. Augmented lawyering, where human expertise is enhanced by machine intelligence, is the future.

Moreover, AI democratizes access to legal resources. Smaller firms and solo practitioners can leverage AI tools to compete with larger firms, levelling the playing field and promoting greater access to justice[1].

Conclusion

The integration of AI into the legal profession is not a battle between man and machine. It is a collaboration, a partnership that holds immense promise. As the legal community navigates this transformation, it must remain vigilant about ethical and regulatory concerns, but also open to the possibilities that AI offers.

It’s not man versus machine. When it comes to AI and law, it’s man with machine. 

(Dr. Chinmay Bhosale, Advocate, Bombay High Court.)

Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.