Dear Advy,
I’m stressed out by the pressure of technological demands that I’m seeing within the profession. Everywhere I look there is another article about AI, and I hear yet another legal expert go on about how you need to adapt or be left behind. I feel so inundated by information that I tend to just want to shut down. I know this is unwise and I know things are changing at an exponential speed. Any suggestions on how to block out all of the noise so maybe I can focus on what my next steps should be? At this point, I’m about ready to give the robots my practice.
Sincerely,
Exhausted by AI
Dear Exhausted by AI,
I thought I’d ask an artificial intelligence tool for an answer to your question. One thing that might make you feel better is that when I plugged your question into Google’s AI function, the answer was useless. This tends to reinforce my view that AI is better at creating realistic videos of cats roller skating than it is at doing more, shall we say, nuanced tasks.
I reformulated your question to “How do I cope with work anxiety about AI?” and got this answer.
“To manage work anxiety about AI, focus on understanding its capabilities and limitations, engage in open discussions, practice mindfulness, and stay informed about AI developments and how it's being integrated into your workplace.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of strategies:
- Educate Yourself and Others:
- Learn about AI:
Understanding the technology can demystify it and reduce feelings of fear and uncertainty. - Engage in conversations:
Discuss your concerns with colleagues, experts, or online communities to gain different perspectives and reduce feelings of isolation. - Transparency:
Encourage open communication from leadership about AI integration plans, its benefits, and how it aligns with company goals. - Training:
Provide comprehensive training on AI tools and their applications to build confidence and skills.
- Learn about AI:
- Focus on What You Can Control:
- Identify your strengths:
Focus on the skills and knowledge you possess that are valuable and cannot be easily replaced by AI. - Upskill and reskill:
Continuously learn and develop new skills to enhance your value in the workplace, particularly in areas where AI is less effective. - Embrace a growth mindset:
View AI as a tool to augment your capabilities rather than a threat to your job. - Focus on high-value tasks:
Use AI to automate repetitive tasks and free up time for more strategic and creative work. - Set realistic goals and deadlines:
Break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to reduce feelings of overwhelm.
- Identify your strengths:
- Manage Anxiety and Stress:
- Practice mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques:
Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga can help manage anxiety and promote relaxation. - Prioritize self-care:
Ensure you're getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and engaging in activities that you enjoy. - Seek support:
Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or therapist about your anxieties. - Take breaks:
Step away from work regularly to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. - Recognize and address your limitations:
Don't be afraid to ask for help or delegate tasks when needed. - Accept that you'll experience some anxiety:
It's normal to feel anxious about new technologies, and it's important to acknowledge and address these feelings constructively.
- Practice mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques:
Hmm. Maybe I should worry that AI is coming for my job as an advice columnist. Well, as the song goes, Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto.
To put this into perspective, it’s worth remembering that we have faced the concern that new technology and other innovations would render lawyers (and other career paths) redundant before. Virtual court appearances, computers, smart phones, the expansion of self-representing parties and do-it-yourself legal work and other developments have been sources of career anguish for many lawyers already. Heck, some lawyers I know seem to be stressed out by the telephone.
Your anxiety about AI’s threat to your job is fundamentally more about career anxiety than AI itself. As with any new tool, it is useful to familiarize yourself with what it can and can’t do. If you are more familiar with it, you are likely to feel less dread about what it can and can’t do. You may also find that it can help you in your practice. It may be able to help you with routine tasks like understanding an unfamiliar or convoluted contract term, checking differences between documents or drafts, and basic legal research inquiries.
At the same time, it may be useful for you to not read everything you see about AI and the workplace. Not all of it is reliable, some of it may be downright misleading, and just about all of it is designed to hook you into reading/clicking/watching something in order to get your attention. That means you may be exposing yourself to a toxic brew of scary stories that don’t actually contribute to your understanding of the issues AI brings. No, I’m not saying you should stop reading about AI in the workplace altogether, but you should deliberately curate your reading choices to help mitigate the angst you feel.
Firms do need to pay attention to the problem that AI represents for more junior lawyers. Automating legal tasks is often seen as a way of eliminating elements of our work that requires less skill. That tends to reduce opportunities for those more junior lawyers to acquire skills and contribute to the workplace. Saving some cost is all well and good but if it means you fail to train the next generation of lawyers, then you’re not doing yourself any favours in the long run.
More than ever, firms and individual lawyers need to be deliberate about how they develop their own capacity to thrive as lawyers. In many jurisdictions, lawyers must file an annual professional development plan. Consider how much your own professional development plan – whether formal or informal – includes familiarizing yourself with AI tools and developing your skills so that you can flourish no matter what technology brings your way.
Speaking of professional development, managing anxiety about your career is itself a professional skill. You can work that goal into your professional development plan so that you can work toward feeling better about this concern you raise. If you’ve read this column before, you know that this is the point where I recommend that you contact your local lawyers’ assistance program. Many of those programs have counsellors and even peer support workers who can help you create strategies to manage career anxiety
Give them a call. Remember, there’s no reason to wait for a crisis to get professional help to feel better about your career and your life.
Be well,
Advy