AT&T expands legal AI initiatives with OpenAI partnership

AT&T is enhancing its legal operations by integrating OpenAI's technology into its LegalEdge initiative. The company’s in-house legal team, comprising hundreds of lawyers globally, faces challenges in accessing critical information quickly. David McAtee, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, emphasized the importance of improving access to legal expertise. The collaboration with OpenAI aims to create a knowledge layer that supports legal professionals across the company. LegalEdge, a team focused on AI applications in legal matters, is expanding to connect accumulated expertise with current legal work. The initiative includes an intake system with natural language processing to classify and prioritize legal requests. Bill Ryan, Chief Compliance Officer, highlighted the system’s ability to provide historical context and recommended steps. Ryan envisions scaling legal judgment across more business needs. McAtee stressed that legal decision-making will remain with lawyers, with the goal of providing better information to support their expertise. The partnership aims to streamline legal processes and improve efficiency.