Many groundbreaking inventions begin with someone’s desire to eliminate a rote task or annoyance. Remember texting before touchscreens? Smartphones produced their own gripes, but the iPhone and its progeny exist partly because, as former iPhone head Scott Forstall recalls, “We all hated our phones.” And smartphones have eliminated plenty of rote tasks and a surprising number of single-use devices.

Will AI do the same? With many companies announcing AI additions to their products, what should lawyers feel comfortable delegating to general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot? Although not trained in legal nuances, they can eliminate some of the annoyances within the business side of a law practice. AI is a fantastic tool to end procrastination around firm management. Rather than staring at an empty screen with a blinking cursor, have AI produce a rough draft to get you started. It will need editing, but it’s a start.