AI hallucinations are now the biggest concern for lawyers using the technology, despite adoption across the profession surging to near-universal levels. A new LexisNexis report found that 83% of UK legal professionals are concerned about lawyers relying on inaccurate or fabricated information generated by AI.
Concern about AI hallucinations has climbed sharply from 57% at the beginning of 2024. Hallucinations sit comfortably ahead of the other major AI worries identified by respondents.
Lawyers’ concerns about AI are varied. 53% of respondents are concerned about confidential data leaking and 52% are wary of lawyers becoming too reliant on the technology.
A survey of 543 UK legal professionals found that 94% now use AI for legal work, with 74% using it at least once a week and more than a third (34%) reaching for it every day. They use AI for a range of tasks.
Legal research is now the most common AI use case, cited by 69% of respondents, followed by document summarisation (62%), while 53% use it for both drafting and document review. The use of AI in these areas is becoming increasingly prevalent.
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Four in five lawyers (81%) said they feel more comfortable using AI grounded in legal sources, up from 70% a year ago. It is not just lawyers who have concerns about AI.
More than three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed believe AI is causing clients or members of the public to misinterpret the law.
One in ten respondents now describe themselves as dependent on AI to do their jobs, rising to 15% at large law firms and 13% among in-house lawyers. The research follows a number of high-profile AI blunders.
Pinsent Masons’ citation of an insolvency rule that did not exist, following AI-hallucinated research by a junior lawyer, is one example. A similar error at US firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which apologised to a New York judge after fabricated citations appeared in a court filing, highlights the need for caution when relying on AI-generated information.
Lawyers’ concerns have not stopped them becoming increasingly reliant on the technology.
