One in three people living in the UK would let a robot lawyer (or a form of artificial intelligence) represent them — but only under human supervision, according to a recent poll. Despite growing interest in AI-powered legal services, trust in law firms remains low (only 1 in 10 say they trust law firms, according to the survey).
These findings come via a survey from Robin AI, which reveals that while nearly one in three people would be open to letting a robot lawyer represent them in court, the vast majority would only do so with a human lawyer overseeing the process. This is especially the case should a legal issue go to court (here 93 percent state they would not trust a robot to function alone in court).
Reduction in fees
When asked what would most encourage them to use AI in legal services, the top answers were:
- Lower cost – 47%
- 24/7 availability – 35%
- Faster resolution – 35%
Most respondents would also expect to pay less, with a majority saying they would expect an average 57 percent discount in fees before choosing AI over a traditional lawyer.
Case dependent
The use of robots is also case sensitive. For example, 47 percent of respondents would happily let AI review a rental agreement, and 46 percent would use it to fight a parking ticket.
Support dropped sharply for more emotionally or legally complex matters:
- Divorce – 17%
- Redundancy disputes – 17%
- Criminal defence – 11%
Moreover, while 68 percent said they would be happy for a lawyer to use AI to check for errors or speed things up, a strong majority said they would not trust AI to assist with criminal law (61 percent).
Trust issues
When asked who they trust most for legal advice, just 4 percent said they would trust AI on its own. The vast majority preferred either a traditional lawyer (69 percent) or a lawyer using AI as a support tool (27 percent).
Does the public want human-led AI?
Despite concerns, many see potential in AI – as long as it’s properly regulated. 82 percent of people want lawyers to take a safety or compliance course before using AI tools.
Respondents also associated legal AI services with being:
- More affordable – 47%
- Less biased – 38%
- More accurate – 24%
- More transparent – 21%
Frustrations with ‘the system’
The findings seemingly highlight growing frustration with the UK legal system – widely viewed as expensive, elitist and difficult to access. The survey, conducted by Perspectus Global (who polled a representative sample of 4,152 people), found that the overwhelming majority saw the legal system as “expensive”, “elitist” or “intimidating”.
