人工智能对法律专业人士批判性思维的影响

Challenges and opportunities Co-authored by Valerie McConnell and Lance Odegard Executive summary.........................................................................................................................................................................3Section 1: The issue - AI’s impact on critical thinking...................................................................................................4Section 2: Impact on legal professionals.............................................................................................................................6Section 3: Evolution of legal education................................................................................................................................9Section 4: Using Thomson Reuters tools to promote critical thinking..............................................................10Final thoughts....................................................................................................................................................................................11 Executive summary About the authors: The legal profession faces a critical paradox: as AI becomes more capable,lawyers risk becoming less so. Recent empirical research reveals a troublingcorrelation (r = -0.68) between increased AI usage and diminished criticalthinking abilities among legal professionals—a phenomenon that threatens Valerie McConnellis anAttorney and currently servesas a Vice President involved inAI-driven Solutions Engineeringat Thomson Reuters. She servedas VP of Customer Success forCasetext from 2019 through theThomson Reuters acquisitionof Casetext in 2023. Prior to herwork in legal technology, shepracticed as a litigator for over10 years, first at Jones Day andthen at an IP litigation boutique. This paper examines how the emergence of agentic AI—autonomoussystems capable of independent planning, reasoning, and workflowexecution—fundamentally changes the risk-benefit equation for legal We present evidence-based frameworks for harnessing AI’s transformativepotential while preserving and strengthening the critical thinking skillsessential to legal excellence. Through strategic collaboration with advancedAI platforms, legal professionals can amplify their analytical capabilities rather The stakes are clear: lawyers who learn to think with AI will thrive; those wholet AI thinkforthem will find their professional competence—and their clients’ interests—at risk. Lance Odegardis thePractice Lead for LegalTechPlatform Services at ThomsonReuters. He has worked forThomson Reuters for 35 years,consistently focusing on Section 1 The issue - AI’s impact oncritical thinking The cognitive offloading phenomenon Recent research by Michael Gerlich at SBS Swiss Business School foundsignificant correlations between frequent AI usage and critical thinking skills:¹ AI usage vs. critical thinking: r = -0.68 (moderately strong negative correlation) AI usage vs. cognitive offloading: r = +0.72 (moderately strong positive correlation) r = -0.75 (moderately strong negative correlation) Valerie’s perspective: Having practiced litigation for a decade before transitioning to legaltechnology, I’ve witnessed this phenomenon firsthand. During mypractice, I developed strong analytical skills through necessity—everybrief required deep engagement with precedent. Now, working with Lance’s perspective: Over my 35 years at Thomson Reuters, I’ve seen multiple waves oflegal technology adoption. What’s different about AI is the speed anddepth of cognitive replacement. Previous technologies enhancedcapabilities—better search, faster document review. AI, however, can The agentic AI revolution •Perceive their environment through APIs and document interfaces•Plan and execute complex, multi-step workflows independently•Make real-time decisions and adapt strategies without constant human input This autonomy intensifies cognitive offloading risks by enabling: Workflow automation beyond human oversight: Agentic AI can autonomously conduct comprehensive due diligence reviews, draft complex contracts, andmanage entire discovery processes. Strategic cognitive offloading: The delegation of not just routine tasks, but the strategic thinking that underlies effective legal practice. The “Black Box” problem magnified:3 Multi-step processes where each decision influences subsequent actions, creating decision trees nearlyimpossible for humans to follow or validate. Professional responsibility implications Valerie’s legal practice perspective: The autonomous nature of agentic AI creates unprecedented professional Supervision standards:How can lawyers adequately supervise systems operatingindependently across multiple tasks? Competence requirements:What level of understanding must lawyers maintain about AIdecision-making processes? Client communication: How do lawyers explain strategies developed autonomously byAI systems? Impact on legal profess