The ACC updated its AI Center of Excellence toolkit for 2026 to address this gap, but the specifics of how in-house teams should restructure individual outsourcing deals remain unsettled. Vendors' technical delivery models, performance metrics tied to AI implementation, and the regulatory obligations created by these new tools are still being defined across the market.
For in-house counsel, the takeaway is direct: passive outsourcing relationships no longer work. Legal departments must develop technical literacy around AI offerings, actively negotiate governance and incentive structures into vendor agreements, and engage technical teams during contract negotiation—not after. With the U.S. outsourcing market projected to reach $1 trillion, how firms structure these relationships now will determine whether AI investments yield promised savings or become expensive compliance liabilities.