Survey Reveals Most Federal Judges Utilize AI in Their Work, Yet Daily Application Remains Uncommon

A groundbreaking survey reveals that over 60% of federal judges have utilized generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their work, though fewer than 25% use it regularly. Conducted by Northwestern University and the New York City Bar Association, the study analyzed AI’s role in federal courts through responses from 502 judges, yielding a 22.3% response rate. The results showed that while 61.6% of judges use AI tools, only 5.4% employ them daily. Legal-specific AI tools, such as Westlaw, are preferred over general-purpose systems like ChatGPT. Legal research is the primary use case, followed by document review. Notably, judges expressed a mixed outlook on AI; approximately 43% are optimistic about its potential benefits, while 42% voiced concerns about accuracy and skill degradation. A significant gap in training was identified, with 45.5% lacking formal AI instruction. This study indicates the need for comprehensive AI policies and further training in the judiciary.

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