Australia has overtaken the US in generative AI deployment, according to Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) Australia co-chair Anna Golovsky. Golovsky believes the pace of adoption of new technology in Australia is very high, with more GenAI deployments as a percentage compared to the US.
Golovsky noted that while pilots are factored into the percentage, the wider AI adoption across Australia is indicative of the market, where companies “run leaner”. However, this quicker pickup has not yet meant significant changes in legal service delivery.
Despite the high adoption rate, Golovsky acknowledged that the expected transformational change in legal service delivery has not yet occurred. There has not yet been real translation of efficiency dividends or changes in the way law firms price for services.
Australian law firms are currently focused on adoption, upskilling, and use case identification, which are critical steps. Golovsky emphasized the importance of identifying processes and workflows that can be automated or made more efficient through AI-powered technology solutions.
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Golovsky expects AI to be part of all technology within the legal ecosystem. with teams needing to get their knowledge and know-how in an AI-ready state. A core piece of technology that will start to become really critical is one that will allow teams to index their knowledge, use metadata to apply to their knowledge assets so that they can be surfaced in AI in a more efficient way.
The “ultimate transformation change” comes through a full workflow overhaul, Golovsky said. This involves changing the entire end-to-end workflow of components of legal service delivery, rather than just individual tasks or parts.
As Golovsky explained, it is critical for law firms to identify areas where AI can bring the most value. They are working to implement AI solutions that can automate routine tasks and free up resources for more complex and high-value work.
Golovsky emphasized that the key to successful AI adoption is to have a clear understanding of the potential benefits and challenges. By doing so, law firms can make informed decisions about where to invest in AI and how to implement it in a way that drives real value for their clients.
