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1. Outdated Contracts in the Entertainment Industry: Many contracts in the entertainment industry are currently in a poor state. They often rely on outdated templates from the early 2000s, many of which are void or voidable as they conflict with basic copyright law and the 2012 amendment. An experienced litigator can easily obtain interim orders to declare these contracts void on being instructed by an entertainment lawyer. This is true, and I've done this several times before. Therefore, if AI is being trained on such flawed data, it is unlikely to surpass the expertise of human lawyers.
2. Uniqueness of Entertainment Contracts: Contrary to popular belief, not all entertainment contracts are identical. Unlike other industries where contracts typically involve incorporated entities, entertainment contracts frequently involve individuals who can be narcissistic, egotistical, and stubborn. While entrepreneurs may exhibit similar traits, dealing with overconfident celebrities or artists presents a unique challenge. These agreements often include nuanced clauses such as nudity riders, option clauses, and key man clauses, which require detailed human conversation, discussion, and explanation—tasks that AI cannot yet adequately perform.
3. Additional Roles of Entertainment Lawyers: Entertainment lawyers often serve multiple roles beyond legal representation. They act as artist managers, business development advisors, and strategists, helping clients monetize their work, ensuring royalty income streams are active, and facilitating networking between creatives. While you specifically mentioned contract/agreement lawyers, it is important to note that the broader role of entertainment lawyers encompasses activities that AI is not equipped to handle anytime soon.
I agree that AI is becoming more powerful and useful, but it is not poised to replace lawyers anytime soon. I used ChatGPT to create the response above by providing my points as prompts and asking it to redraft or rewrite them in better language and structure. As far as I'm concerned, that's the extent of AI's current capabilities: rewording inputs that only human lawyers can conceive and articulate.
However, you do miss out on some stuff, like the adrenaline high of a new litigation, the ability to be snarky in drafts, all the networking in courts etc. Here, you end up holed up in office with the same set of people (a large majority of who may be pretentious jerks) as well as condescending foreign counsels. Since most stuff is virtual now, there’s limited non-work interaction with people outside your firm.