AI is a hot topic in the legal profession, but finding the right tool can be overwhelming. While many AI tools are designed specifically for lawyers, numerous generic tools can also be useful.
To help navigate this landscape, we’ve compiled a list of popular AI tools for legal tasks, detailing their capabilities and considerations for lawyers. Use this list as a starting point, and verify information with the AI tool provider.
Before using any AI tool for legal work, consider your ethical obligations. Carefully vet AI-generated work products and be cautious about sharing confidential information, as many tools use inputted data for training purposes.
Many AI tools offer options for streamlining work and communications. Here are some general AI tools and how they can be used in legal work:
ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot from OpenAI. It was trained through reinforcement learning from human feedback. During this process, human AI trainers would converse as a user and an AI assistant, then rank chatbot responses to teach the chatbot how to respond appropriately.
Capabilities:
Cost:
Free to use, with a premium ChatGPT Plus subscription option available for $20 per month, offering priority access and faster response times.
What to Know:
Remember, ChatGPT's models have different knowledge cutoff dates, so depending on the version you use, responses may only include information up to a certain point.
Claude AI is an AI-powered chatbot from Anthropic that responds to open-ended text queries with paragraphs of text-written answers. Similar to ChatGPT, the Claude LLM was trained with human AI trainers alongside publicly available data and content licensed from third parties.
Capabilities:
Can perform complex cognitive tasks, transcribe and analyze static images, create websites in HTML, and translate languages.
Cost:
Free to use, with subscriptions for Claude Pro ($20/month) and Claude Team ($30/month) offering more usage, features and priority access.
What to Know:
Claude stands out for its privacy approach, not using user prompts or responses for training without explicit permission. This can be appealing for those with confidentiality concerns–Always use discretion when inputting data and review the provider’s terms of use.
Gemini, formerly known as Google Bard, is Google’s AI model offering. Like other AI models, Gemini responds to open-ended text queries with paragraphs of text-written answers. Researchers trained Gemini on publicly available data, and it can also obtain information from web sources like Google.
Capabilities:
Cost:
Gemini is free to use. If you’re looking for additional capabilities, you can subscribe to Gemini Advanced for $20 per month.
What to Know:
Unlike some other AI models on this list, Gemini can pull real-time information from the web, which is useful for up-to-date research.
Copilot is an AI offering from Microsoft, offering, among others, Copilot for Microsoft 365, which integrates with Microsoft 365 apps such as Microsoft Office.
Capabilities:
Cost:
You can add Copilot for Microsoft 365 for $30 per month to an existing Microsoft 365 license.
What to Know:
Copilot for Microsoft 365 could be a great option for lawyers who already use Microsoft 365 (including Microsoft Office, Word, and PowerPoint) day-to-day to enhance productivity in their work.
The right AI tool for a law firm depends on specific needs, with privacy and security as top priorities to maintain professional obligations. Whether for generating marketing ideas or overhauling workflows, there's likely a suitable tool.
Watch for AI tools specifically designed for legal work. For example, Clio Manage users can look forward to Clio Duo, an upcoming AI functionality that will act as a coach, collaborator, and consultant while protecting sensitive legal data.
