AI Snake Oil • 648 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
- AI alone won’t make legal outcomes cheaper because regulatory rules and professional restrictions can block or limit consumer access to AI legal tools.
- The adversarial nature of the legal system means productivity gains often spark an arms race—when both sides use AI, more work is produced but outcomes don’t necessarily get cheaper.
- Human bottlenecks (judges, lawyers, and the need for oversight) and procedural incentives mean institutional reforms are required before AI can deliver lower-cost, better legal outcomes.