Ways AI Can Help or Hurt a Personal Injury Case

AI is becoming more commonly used by the day, and personal injury cases are no exception. With this evolving and powerful tool comes great responsibility, as there are both perks and grey areas that come with its usage.

From a personal injury perspective, here’s a short list of ways I see AI can help or hurt cases moving forward.

Pros

• Efficient Legal Research: AI tools can quickly scan case law and identify relevant precedents, allowing more time to be used towards the strategy of the case itself.

• Faster Claim Evaluation: AI can analyze claims and documentation quickly, significantly reducing the time it takes to evaluate and process personal injury claims.

• Fraud Detection: AI algorithms can catch inconsistencies and anomalies, helping identify fraudulent activity more easily.

• Savings: Automating parts of the claims and legal process reduces administrative costs for companies.

• Settlement Consistency: AI can help standardize evaluations, reducing discrepancies between similar cases and offering more predictable outcomes.

  
  

Cons

• Data Bias: Algorithms rely on historical data, so AI may inherit systemic biases that potentially lead to unfair outcomes.

• Lack of Human Judgment: AI can’t account for nuances and the emotional, psychological, or long-term impact of injuries, which are critical when determining personal injury settlements.

• Lowball Settlements: AI may undervalue claims by focusing on statistical averages rather than the specific circumstances of a particular case.

• Questionable Decision-Making: Leaning so heavily on technology makes it difficult to understand how decisions are made and how they can be effectively challenged.

• Privacy and Security: Because many documents include sensitive client information, data security and protection could become a concern. 

AI certainly offers benefits in terms of speed and efficiency, but we should be mindful of how it is used in any legal matter.