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The illusion of automation: why AI creates more legal work, not less
AI is rapidly entering contract management and legal operations, promising speed, efficiency and automation. But beneath that promise lies a paradox: the more legal work is automated, the more responsibility shifts back to the human lawyer. This keynote challenges the assumption that AI reduces legal effort. Instead, it shows how automation fragments legal work and increases the need for verification, judgment and accountability. Drawing on real-world legal practice, the session explores what AI can reliably take over, where it inevitably fails, and why efficiency gains are often absorbed by the obligation to verify outcomes. The result is not fewer lawyers, but a redefinition of legal value - from execution to interpretation, from output to responsibility.
About
Kris Seyen
Kris Seyen is a Belgian lawyer and legal strategist with a dual background in law and software engineering. He is founder of consey.legal and advises organisations on the intersection of contract management, AI, data protection and digital governance. Kris regularly acts as external DPO and AI compliance advisor for large organisations and speaks widely on how technology reshapes legal decision-making. He is known for translating complex regulatory and technical developments into practical, business-relevant insight.
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