Legal AI and PropTech company, Leverton, which recently became part of conglomerate MRI, has found in a survey of 100 participants that the top three reasons for deploying AI and other types of automated solution were: to save money, support data analysis, and to gain competitive advantage.

The survey covered a range of sectors, not just legal, and also looked at not just doc review, but a range of applications that covered areas including voice analysis and RPA (robotic process automation).

As seen below in the first table, on average the main reasons for deploying this type of tech were split fairly evenly between: cost savings, data insight, and hopefully gaining some kind of advantage versus competitors. Saving time came next, with a small number hoping to reduce employee headcount.

However, the group Leverton classed as ‘the leaders’, i.e. most driven to adopt new tech, were far more focused on money saving than anything else, while very few were looking at reducing staff through the use of automation. This perhaps reflects a more developed approach to AI tools, as well as more experience with them, for example, not seeing AI tech as a way to cut staff.