A leading law firm in London has cut down on back-office workers as it uses AI Instead.
London law firm Clifford Chance made around 50 roles redundant, a reduction of 10% of business services staff, at its base in the capital with AI use being one of the factors in the decision-making process.
Job cuts
Working in the same city as other London law firms such as https://www.forsters.co.uk/, Clifford Chance is one of the biggest international legal firms around but has made substantial cuts in its IT, HR and finance operations, along with changing roles for up to 35 other workers.
The job cuts were originally reported in the Financial Times, which said that reduced demand in some business service areas and increased use of AI was behind the cuts. The London law firm is also said to be having more work performed in countries like India and Poland rather than within its main UK and US operations.
Office based, or white-collar, jobs are known to be vulnerable to advancement in artificial intelligence, with computers being used to perform cognitive tasks rather than using human brains.
Faster working
Many businesses believe that AI can help to perform some business tasks faster, including the likes of reviewing contracts, scheduling meetings, carrying out research, coding, and more.
A recent survey by the British Standards Institution found that 41% of bosses questioned felt that AI could let them cut employee numbers. Entry level jobs could be particularly affected, while AI specialists are being sought.
