Microsoft wants lawyers to trust its new AI assistant in Word documents

Microsoft is launching a new AI assistant within Word designed for legal teams. The Legal Assistant manages correspondence updates, discussion records, and critical documents to assist legal teams in performing tasks such as reviewing contracts.

“Instead of relying on AI models to interpret rules, the agent follows a workflow based on real rules, managing clear, repetitive tasks such as reviewing contracts and clauses against the playbook,” explains Sumit Chauhancorporate vice president of the Microsoft Office Product Group.

A Legal Assistant can work with existing documents that have undergone changes, and analyze contracts and agreements to “assess risks and obligations.” Microsoft is releasing Legal Assistant to members of its Frontier program in the US, and it’s part of an effort to introduce the Agent feature.

This new AI assistant in Word comes months after Microsoft hired a team of AI experts and engineers from Robin AIa failed startup that was working on an AI partnership review process.