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LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT
A Lawyer’s Primer on AI Agents BY PAMELA LANGHAM, ESQ.
The most simplistic way to explain the dynamics of AI Agents is to distinguish them from the more simple form of generative artificial intelligence technology.
THE FIRST WAVE OF GENERATIVE artificial intelligence brought us large language models (LLMs) that can analyze documents and provide responses in reaction to a prompt, with speed, but not always with accuracy. We are now witnessing the emergence of a second, more sophisticated wave: Generative Artificial Intelligence Agents, simply referred to as “AI Agents.” Lawyers increasingly find themselves in uncharted territory as clients deploy AI Agents across their business operations. These autonomous systems raise complex questions that go far beyond the ethics of using LLMs or other traditional legal technology concerns. When an AI Agent independently manages a client’s supply chain, for example, attorneys must advise on issues ranging from contract formation authority to liability for AI-initiated decisions. The key challenge isn’t just understanding what these systems can do, but anticipating the cascading legal implications of their autonomous actions. MARYLAND BAR JOURNAL | VOLUME 6 ISSUE 3 67