Does A.I Have the Potential to Replace the Legal System?

AUTHOR: YADITYA SANDALA, DHARMASHASTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT

The research question for this article is mainly based on whether AI can take over the profession of lawyers. This topic was inspired by a podcast released on October 30, 2025, from a YouTube channel owned by Reid Hoffman, in which Bill Gates said AI can replace many jobs of lawyers in the next ten years. In this article, we are going to do an in-depth analysis of Bill Gates's statement and look at the pros and cons of AI replacing lawyers. We will also find out if AI has the capabilities that average lawyers possess while doing their job and what will be the aftermath if AI ever replaces lawyers. This article will also look at different viewpoints regarding Bill Gates's statement and provide some counter statements to why AI is incapable and will also provide suggestions or alternatives regarding the problem statement. The approach design used in this study first involves understanding Bill Gates's point of view, identifying what tasks, related to law and lawyers, AI can perform, and what he exactly meant when he said AI is going to replace the legal system.

KEYWORDS- AI, legal system, tasks, technology, welfare, constitution

INTRODUCTION

The inspiration for this research article is the concept of AI replacing lawyers or the legal system. In The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, the billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates said that he could see AI being more productive in the legal system. In a podcast recently on the YouTube channel hosted by Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates said that AI will create transformative changes in the legal system. Gates said that in the next decade, AI will replace the legal system and do the tasks that lawyers perform in their daily activities. He spoke about AI regarding legal research and documentation and mentioned how backlogs and pending cases could be resolved more easily with AI.

However, AI cannot replace lawyers because it does not always produce accurate judgments. It is possible for AI to make false judgments since its potential wholly depends on the accuracy of the given legal statutes. There are instances where justice can only be served by human knowledge and emotional thinking in order to pronounce a judgment, and this is where AI lacks. In addition, laws and constitutions change often, and the AI may not be updated in time. This is a big risk since it may lead to flawed AI judgments owing to the presence of outdated laws. This risk is one of the major reasons why AI may not replace lawyers wholly.

The corporate world is not limited to statutory law; it also requires experience, which must be considered while examining legal issues. AI lacks this experience, which is another potential risk for the legal system and could result in false judgments.

Deepfakes AI is another reason ,if they take help from the AI and then if it results that another image of the concerned party was made using AI it could also be a potential risk for the false judgement.

Lawyers will carry the legal responsibility but ai doesn't carry any responsibility which hinders the judgement given by the ai,this can be seen as potential risk because if ai lacks the responsibility then it can create problems for the justice because the pressure of justice lacks in the air.

If AI gives the judgement on whom will carry the ownership of the judgement. In many law websites and articles it will be mentioned that particular person or specific court has given the judgement.If ai replace lawyers the ownership then people when they try to refer to previous cases or precedents might find a fault because new law might have formed by then and it lacks the information and the justice delivered could be in risk.

AI IS JUST A TECHNOLOGY

AI also has potential risks regarding the legal system because it is just a technology that can simulate human thinking. However, AI does not have the same experience that human beings have. Human experience involves analyzing the implications of a judgment being passed and how such a decision may have adverse effects on society.

The legal system is not a written book with fixed rules and regulations. It is a developing mind, continuously evolving, and it needs to change according to the needs of society if the welfare of society is to be achieved. The risk for AI is that it will not keep up with these changes in society since it is merely a tool that requires human input to evolve and improve. This goes to show that, basically, AI relies on humans to become relevant or attuned to the accepted standards of society today.

AI needs human assistance, especially on issues concerning modern society. The humans are supposed to refresh the data, reports, and information on the web so that the AI will also have updated knowledge. Many of the new laws are designed and developed to match the modern way of life and changing values in society.

For instance, for the passage of a bill in Parliament, it has to attain certain ratios in votes such as two-thirds or three-fourths majority for its passage. This indicates that, in most instances, human involvement and decision-making is required. Since AI is a technologically driven system, it can only process information and carry out high-level tasks and computations based on data from research and surveys spearheaded by humans.

Judges deliver justice to ensure the welfare of society. If AI were to replace lawyers, then judgments might lose validity and relevance since AI is not part of human society. Therefore, it cannot understand what really promotes societal welfare, or how a certain decision would impact people. The main point here is that since AI is not a member of human society, it cannot replace lawyers altogether.

WHAT HAPPENS IF LAWYERS START USING A.I?

The involvement of AI may make lawyers not think critically. They have to analyze and comprehend a case in depth by checking on its relevance, going through previous decisions, and giving a fair verdict. Dependence on AI will lead to a situation where its inability to update itself and understand what decisions are best for society may lead to false or biased judgments.

The arguments to be presented by an attorney need to be fully based on the facts provided by the client so that a proper judgment can be delivered. If AI is used, then it may not have accurate or specific information, and the case references may be wrong, leading to an unfair judgment.

AI does not always keep itself current with newly formed laws or judgments. This hinders the work of lawyers when they have to find relevant precedents or similar cases that help them in their current work.

AI basically focuses on speeding up the resolution of cases rather than making an elaborate analysis of the case laws and precedents. This obsession with speed could be a risk to lawyers; faster resolutions may mean that some points could be missed, which might hamper the delivery of fair and just judgments.

LITERATURE REVIEW

There are numerous articles and research papers written on this issue for the sole reason that modern society is entirely dependent on the use of artificial intelligence. The main purpose behind using AI is to ensure that the work gets completed as soon as possible. It is not only used in the legal system, but its application can also be seen in other fields like medicine, where it assists doctors in providing quick solutions for the problems the individuals are facing. Some articles support the involvement of AI in the legal system because it increases accessibility and efficiency. However, there are very few studies that discuss the risks associated with the replacement of lawyers through AI. The issue requires more attention because the legal system is not just about delivering judgments to the concerned parties but also about the fact that those judgments should be aimed at the well-being of the society as a whole.

METHODOLOGY

The secondary qualitative data analysis adopted for this article derives from an array of previously published sources, including research papers, articles, and other related publications. These are the main sources on which the study bases its primary data input. A systematic consideration of arguments against and in favor of the subject is essential as it helps in comprehending the current situation without entertaining any form of bias

CONCLUSION

As mentioned earlier, the AI doesn't have potential to replace the legal system because the a.i have the need of human himself because when we search for some case law or legal topic on a.i such as chatgot or perplexity, it gives the information from the available sources on the internet and that information or source was done through surveys of the society by a human so this will clean bowled the potential that a.i could replace lawyers.The heavy use of artificial intelligence in modern society poses a potential risk of misuse within the legal system. People should be aware of the possible consequences if AI takes over legal functions and the risks associated with it. Lawyers relying heavily on AI could be a major concern because AI systems may lack up-to-date information on relevant case laws. Moreover, AI is merely a tool, not a human being, and therefore cannot discern which decisions would best serve the welfare of society. This lack of continuous learning and contextual understanding limits AI’s potential to replace lawyers.