I was recently back in New York for one of my favourite events of the year – Legalweek. As always, it was a packed trip spent showcasing our latest AI developments, updating journalists on all things Luminance and catching up with colleagues from across the pond.

A highlight for me was being joined on stage by some of our very own customers for a thought-provoking panel on the value of legal AI. Ryan Van Meter, VP & General Counsel at Imerys, Panasonic’s Director of Legal Operations, Terrene Collins, and Katy McNeill, Principal, Legal & Compliance at one of the largest global investment firms, shared their thoughts on navigating the crowded market, getting business-wide buy-in, and the results they’ve seen themselves.

For anyone who missed it, here are some of my key takeaways…

The Next Chapter: Envisioning the Future Workplace

We’ve been hearing for a while that AI will ‘transform the way we work’. But what does that mean in reality? Our panellists shared tangible insight on the kind of work AI has had the most impact on for them and the patterns they’re seeing since adoption.

Ryan from Imerys explained that: “Luminance lets us as a legal team be much more flexible, spend less time on routine tasks, and be close to the business’ needs.” When looking at the bigger picture of AI-powered businesses, this is the future: automating the routine, ensuring consistency and high-quality across the board, and letting professionals focus on what matters most.

How to Make Data-Driven Decisions

Businesses have vast amounts of information flying around the entire company at any time. From obligations and expiry dates to discounts and renewals, contracts hold the key to commercial risks or opportunities.

So, instant insight and easy access to this information ensures businesses can stay on top of their activity. Katy noted the value of Luminance’s AI-powered repository to help make the most out of their data: “Having the information in an intelligent database like Luminance allows you to be agile and react to changes as they come.”

From fluctuating tariffs to ever-changing regulatory guidelines, the ability to analyse and act upon data in moments is invaluable in the current landscape.

Legal AI - Not Just for Legal

Another common theme throughout the panel was the importance of involving the whole business. By encouraging the use of AI across a wide range of teams and levels, this inspires others to apply it to all kinds of work. Not only does this mean the wider company can see the business value Legal is adding, but they’ll also reap the benefits themselves. Improving legal autonomy, literacy and insight across non-legal functions helps drive commercial activity and means the legal team can focus attention elsewhere.

Terrene noted how helpful this has been for Panasonic, empowering professionals from across various teams to contract independently and compliantly: “non-legal functions are able to perform the initial review and stick to acceptable language.”

In the current business landscape, there’s more pressure than ever to be using AI to fuel efficiency and enhance working practices. People are now looking beyond the hype, for hard evidence of how this technology can provide tangible value. So, hearing Luminance’s very own customers share real-life use cases and results was a fantastic chance to bring this vision to life. Until next year!