Artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of everyday life and this includes the legal sector. As more companies look at where AI could save time and make work easier, there’s another important question to consider:
Can you trust it?
A polished demo or an impressive accuracy figure doesn’t necessarily tell you how a system will perform when it’s being used on real work.
Trust depends on more than how well the technology appears to work. It also comes down to how it’s been built, how it’s managed, and how the information it handles is protected.
So what should companies be looking for when deciding whether an AI system can be trusted?
A clear purpose
Any AI system should have a clear purpose.
What is it designed to do? What isn’t it designed to do? And where do people still need to be involved?
These questions matter because not every use of AI carries the same level of risk.
Using AI to help organise information is very different from relying on an AI generated answer to inform an important legal decision.
Before introducing AI, companies should be clear about the problem they’re trying to solve and whether AI is actually the right tool for the job.
Quality data
AI is only as useful as the information it has to work with.
Incomplete, inaccurate or poorly structured information can affect the quality of the result. That matters particularly in legal work, where cases can involve large volumes of complex information and small details can be important.
The technology matters, but so does the information being put into it.
Testing and evidence
If a company makes claims about how well its AI performs, there should be evidence behind them.
Testing should reflect what the system will actually be used for. It should help show where the technology performs well, where its limitations are and where human insight is still needed.
An accuracy figure on its own doesn’t tell you very much.
How was it measured? What was the system tested on? What was it being asked to do? And what happens when it comes across something that wasn’t covered by those tests?
Trust should come from evidence, not assumptions about what AI can do.
Transparency
Companies should have a clear understanding of the technology they’re using.
That doesn’t mean every user needs to know the technical detail behind an AI model. But firms should be able to get clear answers about what the system does and what happens to their information.
That includes questions such as:
- What is the AI being used for?
- What happens to information submitted to it?
- Is that information retained?
- Who can access it?
- Are any third parties involved?
- What safeguards are in place?
Clear answers to these questions help organisations decide whether a system is suitable for the work they’re asking it to do.
Security
For law firms handling confidential information, security is fundamental.
Before using an AI system, firms need to know how their information will be processed, stored and protected.
That becomes even more important when medical records are involved, as they can contain highly sensitive personal information.
AI shouldn’t get a free pass simply because it’s new technology. It should face the same scrutiny as any other system or provider handling sensitive information.
Human oversight
AI can support professionals, but people still have an important role to play.
How much human review is needed will depend on what the technology is being used for and what the consequences could be if it gets something wrong.
For complex or higher risk legal work, human review remains an important safeguard. Technology should support professional expertise, not replace it.
Ongoing monitoring
Trust isn’t something that can be established once and then forgotten about.
AI systems can change, as can the way organisations use them. Performance therefore needs to be monitored beyond the initial testing stage.
Regular monitoring can help identify problems, check that the system continues to work as expected and highlight where changes or additional safeguards may be needed.
It’s not just about how well the technology performs in a demonstration. What matters is how it performs over time, in real use.
Why trust matters
AI has the potential to make a real difference to law firms and legal services.
Used well, it can reduce manual work, make it easier to work through large amounts of information and give professionals more time to focus on the work that needs their expertise.
But mistakes, poor handling of sensitive information or a lack of oversight can have serious consequences.
That’s why firms shouldn’t judge AI simply by what it can do or how quickly it can do it.
They should also look at how it has been tested, how their information is protected, where its limitations are and what safeguards are in place.
Trust needs evidence
Most importantly, trust shouldn’t simply be claimed. Claims about accuracy, security, privacy or performance should be backed up. That means looking beyond the marketing and asking some straightforward questions.
What has been tested? How was it tested? What happens to your data? Where does human review come in? And what happens when something goes wrong?
Our approach
We believe technology should make medico-legal work easier, without compromising on security, accuracy or expertise.
As AI develops, using it well won’t simply be about adopting the latest technology. It will be about knowing where it is useful, understanding where its limits are and making sure the right safeguards are in place.