Here is my recent Daily Record column. My past Daily Record articles can be accessed here.
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Key Takeaways from the Future of Professionals Report: AI Awareness, Hesitation, and ROI
If you ask professionals about artificial intelligence (AI), nearly all of them (96%) will admit to having some awareness of the technology. If that statistic surprises you, rest assured, I didn’t make it up. It’s from Thomson Reuters’ recently released Future of Professionals Report 2025.
Generative AI was publicly released in November 2022, a little over two and a half years ago. The fact that AI is on the radar of nearly every professional surveyed is nothing short of astounding.
This report surveyed professionals from a number of backgrounds, with legal professionals accounting for 60% of respondents. Overall, there were 2275 responses, 1363 of which were from legal professionals. Of those responses, 985 were from professionals working in law firms, and 58% of those firms had 100 employees or fewer.
The Report offers insight into how professionals perceive AI and how their employers are approaching AI adoption. For example, the data shows that nearly half of professionals recognize the impact AI is having on the business world, with 44% of respondents viewing the rise of AI as transformational, and 80% conceding that AI will have a high or transformational impact on their profession within the next five years.
Not all organizations have jumped onto the AI bandwagon, however, and many are still dragging their proverbial feet. As a result, only 38% of respondents expect to see transformational or high levels of change in their organization this year, and 30% believe their employer is moving too slowly in adopting AI.
24% of respondents share a top concern about AI adoption: that overreliance on AI tools could reduce skill development. When asked about barriers to investment, 50% of professionals voiced the concern that the hallucination problem had not yet been solved and that the risk of inaccurate responses was too great.
Another barrier to adoption is that 88% of respondents indicate a preference for a profession-specific AI assistant. Naturally, it takes time for software companies to develop these tools, whether as standalone solutions or integrated into existing software. Since most professionals prefer industry-specific AI, adoption will inevitably be slower until reliable AI tools are deeply embedded within the trusted platforms already used by many organizations.
Compounding the problem is that 91% of professionals believe that computers should be held to higher standards of accuracy than humans. Another 41% agree that AI software would need to be 100% accurate before they would consider relying on AI output in the absence of human review.
The reluctance to embrace AI is unfortunate since the majority of organizations that have made the investment are seeing positive results. Overall, 53% of those surveyed are already seeing ROI directly or indirectly related to AI implementation.
Another notable data point from the survey supports a piece of advice I often share: before adopting any new technology, including AI, it’s imperative to obtain input and buy-in from everyone in your firm who will be using the platform. The survey findings clearly indicate that user participation is essential for successful AI implementation and ultimately leads to a stronger return on investment.
More than half of the professionals surveyed (54%) report having sufficient input in their organization’s AI plans. Notably, those who feel they had a voice in shaping AI strategy are 1.7 times more likely to perceive tangible benefits from AI use compared to those who felt excluded. In other words, actively involving team members and understanding diverse perspectives across the firm contributes to more effective implementation and greater success with AI adoption.
Last but not least, a shoutout to my nimble, ever-curious fellow Gen Xers. As the Report points out, we don’t get nearly enough credit for our adaptability and tech-savviness: “Gen X professionals, comprising nearly half of the workforce, demonstrate stronger technological engagement than commonly assumed, according to our research, and participate in AI training at rates that exceed those of their younger colleagues.”
So here’s to the forward-thinking professionals who are boldly traversing the path toward an AI-powered future. While challenges remain, from concerns about accuracy to the need for tailored, profession-specific tools, the momentum is undeniable. This report makes one thing clear: those who embrace change thoughtfully and collaboratively will be best positioned to thrive. As AI continues to advance at a rapid clip, curiosity and adaptability will be essential for success in the months and years to come.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney, author, journalist, and Principal Legal Insight Strategist at MyCase, CASEpeer, Docketwise, and LawPay, practice management and payment processing tools for lawyers (AffiniPay companies). She is the nationally-recognized author of “Cloud Computing for Lawyers” (2012) and co-authors “Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier” (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors “Criminal Law in New York,” a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for Above the Law, ABA Journal, and The Daily Record, has authored hundreds of articles for other publications, and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. She is an ABA Legal Rebel, and is listed on the Fastcase 50 and ABA LTRC Women in Legal Tech. She can be contacted at niki.black@mycase.com.