Boards, executive committees, and legal counsel are now expected to demand two things from their advisors: what specific benefits AI will deliver on a given matter, and how it will be deployed responsibly. Firms like Foley & Lardner and BRG are actively advising clients on harnessing AI for large, complex datasets in disputes and investigations. The practical mechanics remain unsettled—companies have not yet updated enterprise data maps to account for AI-generated content like Copilot prompts and meeting transcripts, and legal, security, and IT governance models remain misaligned.
For attorneys, the takeaway is straightforward: AI in investigations is no longer theoretical. Organizations facing high-stakes litigation or pre-litigation disputes involving complex datasets should expect pressure to deploy these tools and should prepare now to answer how they will maintain legal privilege, reliability, and defensibility while doing so. The regulatory environment will tighten. Getting ahead of governance questions now—before regulators force the issue—is the practical move.