Less than half of legal leaders are confident in AI’s interpretation of complex issues
Human oversight remains a key factor in legal leaders’ adoption of artificial intelligence technology, according to a survey conducted by San Francisco-based firm Paragon Legal.
53 percent of legal leaders reported that they would only trust AI if it was being supervised by a human, highlighting the necessity for a human element in legal decision-making. Moreover, just 37 percent would entrust AI with influencing significant legal decisions, suggesting that legal leaders are wary of AI interpreting complex matters without oversight.
For 65 percent of legal leaders, AI should mainly be applied to legal support tasks like generating risk alerts and summarizing regulatory change. Forty-seven percent said AI should be prohibited from impacting courtroom strategy.
Sixty percent of respondents said they often disagreed with AI legal suggestions or analyses; however, 31 percent admitted to modifying a legal opinion on AI’s suggestion. Forty-four percent said AI should be able to interpret new legislation, while 38 percent dissented.
In 60 percent of cases, organizations are using AI to conduct research and to draft and review contracts and policies. AI has been incorporated into about 27 percent of day-to-day work; nonetheless, 39 percent of respondents believed that their organizations were implementing tools too quickly. Thus, governance and training policies may be inadequate.
Thirty-six percent also indicated that they were applying AI-generated insights that were not fully validated; 37 percent reported that they had limited or eliminated AI from workflows on grounds of compliance, indicating that risk management is a key driver of AI oversight. Just 57 percent believed that the AI tools they use met legal privacy and auditability standards.
In the event that an AI recommendation leads to a legal mistake, 64 percent said the organization employing the AI should shoulder liability, while 60 percent would put it on the legal professional overseeing the tool.
Paragon Legal surveyed 500 legal professionals and business leaders in October 2025.
