A helping hand

As AI becomes more embedded in the productivity-driven model of modern work, what worth should we assign to aspects of labour that are not easily measured in monetary terms or tied directly to profit? Ruth O’Sullivan runs it through ChatGPT

Artificial intelligence is no longer a remote concept reserved for the tech sector – it is rapidly weaving itself into the fabric of all workplaces, including the legal profession.

Often dubbed the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, AI is proving to be a transformative force, redefining how we live, work, and think about productivity.

But as AI reshapes the landscape of legal work, it also invites a deeper question: how does this technological evolution influence the human experience of work, particularly our sense of connection, purpose, and psychological wellbeing?

In the legal sector, this cognitive and, increasingly, structural shift is well underway.

According to Thomson Reuters’ Future of Professionals Report (July 2024), AI is reshaping legal practice by streamlining routine tasks, such as automating document review, standard contract drafting, and other time-consuming functions.

This allows legal professionals to redirect their focus toward complex, high-value work, ultimately enhancing both efficiency and output.

Business case

The marketplace is responding in kind. A growing array of AI tools, tailored specifically for legal environments, now assist with everything from legal research to contract analysis and compliance monitoring.

The business case is clear: greater accuracy, time savings, and cost-effectiveness. But the impact of AI extends beyond workflow mechanics.

A recent working paper from MIT suggests that AI can significantly boost employee self-efficacy and job satisfaction – factors that contribute meaningfully to workplace culture.

While early indicators are promising, especially for knowledge-based sectors like law, research into AI’s cultural impact within legal workplaces remains in its infancy.

Connection lies at the heart of any thriving workplace culture. More than just casual camaraderie, it reflects the deeper human need to form and maintain meaningful relationships – a fundamental driver of collaboration, trust, and psychological safety.

Social bonds

As a cornerstone of social bonding, connection has been consistently linked to improved physical and mental wellbeing. In the workplace, these benefits translate into greater engagement, resilience, and a sense of belonging among colleagues.

It’s no surprise, then, that connection is a powerful catalyst for positive workplace culture. In environments where connection is nurtured – through open communication, shared values, and mutual support – teams tend to perform better, morale is higher, and staff are more likely to stay and grow within the organisation.

In a legal setting, where high-pressure environments and complex work are the norm, fostering connection isn’t just a soft benefit – it’s a strategic imperative.

As AI becomes embedded in legal workflows, an important question arises: what impact does this have on our ability to connect with one another at work?

If AI is relieving lawyers of mundane and repetitive tasks, then, at least in theory, it opens up time and mental space for deeper, more meaningful work. This shift has the potential to benefit not just individual focus, but also team collaboration.

When legal professionals are less burdened by a sea of competing yet routine processes, they are free to engage in higher-order thinking, strategic problem-solving, and creative collaboration.

Innovation game

By reducing cognitive overload and freeing teams from task-based constraints, AI creates the conditions from which genuine innovation can emerge.

Innovation flourishes not in environments of constant busyness, but when people have the time and space to think expansively, connect ideas, and work together with intention.

In this context, lawyers not only experience stronger levels of connection, contributing to a more positive workplace culture, but also find themselves driving legal innovation.

With more space for human-led, humancentric thinking, solicitors are uniquely positioned to shape how the law evolves in an increasingly digital age.

Furthermore, the additional ‘bandwidth’ created by AI opens up opportunities for teams to cultivate more meaningful dynamics and build psychologically safe environments where individuals and teams can genuinely thrive.

This is particularly valuable for younger team members, who rely on mentorship and collaborative learning to develop their professional skills. With more time available for conversation, guidance, and hands-on training, firms can strengthen the pipeline of capable, confident legal talent.

Client rapport

From a client perspective, this shift enhances the human side of legal services. With less administrative pressure, solicitors can invest more time in building rapport, deepening client relationships, and responding to client needs with greater attentiveness and care.

However, as AI accelerates efficiency and streamlines workflows, it raises an important question: could this come at the cost of human connection in the workplace?

The very tasks that AI now handles, often viewed as mundane or repetitive, have historically served as informal but vital touch-points for collaboration, learning, and relationship-building. These interactions, while seemingly minor, contribute to the relational glue that holds teams together.

With AI increasingly shouldering the brunt of these tasks, there is a risk that communication within teams could become more transactional, focused solely on outcomes and outputs, rather than relational and grounded in trust, mentorship, and shared experience.

This shift is especially relevant in larger legal workplaces, where collaboration spans not just among lawyers, but across a broader ecosystem of legal assistants, operations staff, clerks, and technologists.

If not implemented with intention, AI could quietly strip away the everyday human interactions that build a cohesive and connected workplace culture.

Value judgement

This invites a broader, more philosophical question: what do we truly value in the work we do, in the legal profession and beyond?

As AI becomes embedded in the productivity-driven model of modern work, it compels us to reconsider the worth we assign to aspects of labour that are not easily measured in monetary terms or tied directly to profit.

While the business case for workplace wellbeing and culture is now well established, the integration of AI challenges us to look even more closely at the uniquely human elements of working life – connection, purpose, mentorship, creativity.

As machines take on more of what we once considered ‘work’, there is a growing risk that people may begin to feel like cogs in an increasingly automated system, especially if value is assessed purely through the lens of productivity – something that AI is designed to enhance.

This moment of transformation calls for deeper reflection: why do we come to work each day? What part of our identity is bound up with being professionals? And perhaps most importantly: are we going to work for connection, or are we simply cultivating connection as a means to boost productivity?

In a sector where relationships, trust, and judgement are integral, how we answer these big questions may help shape not just the future of the legal profession, but the human experience of work itself.

Ruth O’Sullivan is psychological services executive at the Law Society of Ireland.