Will Gen Z survive the AI revolution?

AI cannot replace courts or public authorities

AI is now routine in legal drafting, but it remains no substitute for live procedural judgment or reading between the lines in ambiguous exchanges. In 2026, 92% of legal professionals surveyed by Wolters Kluwer said they use at least one AI tool in their daily workflow, yet 62% said AI saved only 6%–20% of their work week. A separate Law360 Pulse survey found that 47% of firm lawyers use AI at least three times per week.

Physical and unstructured materials still matter

AI performs best on structured digital information. Harvey’s 2026 survey of 130 large firms found broad use in drafting, contract review, due diligence, discovery automation, and timelines, all of which are document-heavy but still mostly digital. That matters because law firms continue to deal with paper files and mixed formats which are harder to standardise, even as 54% of respondents expect AI-driven efficiency to let firms serve more clients or price more competitively.

Human interaction remains essential

For all its strengths, AI does not build trust, manage expectations, or respond to clients in real time. In Wolters Kluwer’s survey, 61% of respondents said they are becoming more confident in adapting workflows and pricing, but that shift still depends on lawyers who can perform those functions. The Law360 Pulse survey found that 66% of firm lawyers have received AI training, suggesting a market focused on helping lawyers work better with technology rather than replacing the human element of client service.

The strongest lawyers will combine legal skill and AI

The real advantage belongs to lawyers who combine legal knowledge, experience, and tech fluency. That is where the market is heading in 2026. Seventy-eight percent of attorneys in a Primary Research Group survey expected AI use in their work to expand over the next 12 months, while average use had already reached 5.57 hours per week, with a median of 3 hours. The implication is clear: the best junior lawyers will not be those who avoid AI, but those who use it efficiently.

AI can be inaccurate

The need for verification remains strong because AI is still imperfect: 92% of respondents told Wolters Kluwer they use at least one AI tool daily, yet the same survey framed AI as creating ethics challenges. Harvey’s survey also shows firms deploying AI in work like legal drafting and due diligence, which raises the stakes of any hallucination, misread provision, or fabricated citation, and makes human review non-negotiable.

Professional secrecy is a core concern

The 2026 surveys show wide AI use, but they also highlight why confidentiality matters. When 92% of respondents use AI daily, and 60% expect AI investment to rise further, more sensitive client data is likely moving through more systems. This explains why firms continue to treat security as a central issue.

AI text is often recognisable

The market is already mature enough that many firms are using AI in real production work, but not uniformly. Harvey’s survey found the number of tools actually reaching production is smaller than many expected, while established providers still dominate areas like proofreading. That environment makes AI-generated writing increasingly familiar, especially where repetitive phrasing and standard structures show through, even as firms seek to preserve their own professional voice.

Junior work will be reshaped

AI is more likely to automate routine tasks than replace junior lawyers. Fifty-four percent of respondents expect AI-driven efficiency to let firms handle more clients or offer more competitive pricing, and, as noted above, 62% said AI saves 6%–20% of the work week. This productivity gain is most likely to reduce repetitive trainee work first, while increasing the importance of oversight, issue-spotting, and higher-level learning at entry level.

Billing and business models must adapt

In Wolters Kluwer’s 2026 survey, 61% of respondents said their organisations are becoming more confident in adapting workflows and pricing models to AI-driven efficiencies, and 54% expect firms to use that efficiency either to increase volume or sharpen prices. That is a clear sign that billing based on low-complexity, repeat work will face pressure as AI turns time savings into a commercial issue.

Junior lawyers will still be needed

AI is changing entry-level legal work, but not removing it. The 2026 surveys show heavy use, not full substitution, with 47% of firm lawyers using AI at least three times per week, and 66% receiving training. The junior lawyer of 2026 is therefore less a pure drafter and more a supervised operator – expected to exercise judgment, verify outputs, and use technology well enough to add value faster than before.

References

• Wolters Kluwer
• Harvey
• Primary Research Group

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Raf Uzar heads marketing, communication, and development at law firm Penteris and is a member of the UK's Chartered Institute of Marketing.