Would you trust a robot lawyer?
A new survey for Robin AI reveals that while nearly one in three people would be open to letting a robot lawyer represent them in court, the vast majority would only do so if a human lawyer was overseeing the process.
The research carried out by Perspectus Global polled a sample of 4,152 people across the US and UK and finds that on average, respondents say they would need a 57 percent discount to choose an AI lawyer over a human.
When asked who they trust most for legal advice, just four percent say they would trust AI on its own. The vast majority would prefer either a traditional lawyer (69 percent) or a lawyer using AI as a support tool (27 percent).
"The legal industry needs serious reform," says Richard Robinson, CEO and founder of Robin AI. "People want faster, cheaper legal help, but not at the expense of human judgment. We're doubling down on building AI to work alongside lawyers, not instead of them, as a result of this survey."
Opinions vary when it comes to different tasks, 49 percent would be happy with AI reviewing a rental agreement, 47 percent with it writing a will and 46 percent with it challenging a parking ticket. However, support drops sharply for more emotionally or legally complex matters, only 17 percent would trust AI with a divorce, 17 percent with a redundancy dispute and 11 percent with a criminal defense.
When asked what would most encourage people to use AI in legal services, the top answers are, lower cost (47 percent), 24/7 availability (35 percent) and faster resolution (35 percent).
While attitudes toward legal AI are largely consistent across the UK and US, support for mandatory AI safety or compliance training is higher in the UK (82 percent) than in the US (76 percent). Meanwhile, respondents in the US are more likely to say they trust large corporate law firms 'a great deal' -- 13 percent, compared to eight percent in the UK.
"People want something better, not just faster," adds Robinson. "That's why we believe in human-led AI: to increase access, without sacrificing accountability. Legal AI should make life easier for lawyers and cheaper for clients. But trust must come first."
Image credit: Gemini