A newly launched independent initiative aims to develop an accurate, holistic and transparent index of AI adoption among law firms, in-house legal departments, and individual legal professionals.

Called the AI Adoption Index, the organization says its aim is to bring greater transparency to the current state of AI adoption in the legal industry “and remove hype, hyperbole and FOMO from the conversation.”

The Index has been founded by two London-based legal technology consultants: Tara L. Waters, a former law firm partner and former chief digital officer at global law firm Ashurst, and Jana Blount, a former lawyer and former legal innovation manager at global firm DLA Piper.

(Waters was project lead on the Vals Legal AI Report that I wrote about here in February. This new index has no affiliation with Vals.)

The index creators are inviting legal professionals globally to participate in one of three surveys tailored to law firms, in-house legal teams, and individual legal professionals.

They expect to publish the initial survey results in June and to refresh them annually. Access to the index will be free and open to anyone.

Those wishing to participate in the survey may do so at these links:

Law firms, legal teams and legal professionals should complete the survey relevant to their role:

  • Law firm representative: https://forms.office.com/r/CMx4y2xUG6.
  • In-house legal department representative: https://forms.office.com/r/pGue58B8Kf.
  • Individual legal professionals: https://forms.office.com/r/qvjPfD5EkD.

The creators ask that organizations make only a single entry, whereas any number of individuals from within an organization are welcome to respond to the legal professionals survey.

In an announcement of the index, the creators say that they are starting from the premise that true adoption requires more than just tool deployment, and that for an organization to achieve wide-scale usage and realize a tool’s benefits takes time and focused effort.

In keeping with that, they have designed the index around a newly defined adoption framework that focuses on four key elements:

  • Alignment: AI is strategically supported by leadership and aligned with the organisation’s goals for its business, people and clients.
  • Access & awareness: The organisation ensures its people have access to, and awareness of, available AI tools and how to use them.
  • Ability & enablement: Support and incentivisation is provided to enable the secure and effective use of AI in the workplace, and to build new skillsets and mindsets.
  • Augmentation: New value is being created and measured for organisations, their people and their clients.

“While other industry studies already provide rich data covering sentiment, intention, use cases and individual tool deployment, few look at the question of adoption from multiple perspectives or segments and almost none are built upon a defined framework for adoption,” the creators say.

They hope their more holistic approach will result in a more accurate and multi-dimensional picture of AI adoption as it currently stands.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.