Peter Schichl discusses artificial intelligence in the legal department of a Dax Corporation
Dr. Peter Schichl gave a lively and engaging address at the Avrio Advocati Spring Conference in Bonn over the weekend, on the growing role of artificial intelligence within the legal department of a major international corporation.
Speaking from the perspective of Deutsche Telekom — a business employing almost 200,000 people worldwide — Dr. Schichl offered practical insight into how AI is already transforming legal operations at scale. The company’s legal function itself spans hundreds of lawyers across Germany, Europe and the United States, reflecting the increasingly international and technology-driven nature of modern legal practice.
Central to the discussion was the range of AI tools now being deployed across the organisations for everyday productivity tasks, and specialist legal AI platform used for due diligence, contract analysis, translation and regulatory compliance reviews.
Delegates heard several striking examples of how these tools are being used in practice. AI-assisted due diligence exercises that might once have taken teams of lawyers days or weeks can now be completed in a matter of hours.
Dr. Schichl also emphasised that while AI offers significant efficiencies, human oversight remains essential. A key internal policy at Deutsche Telekom requires all AI-generated legal advice to be manually reviewed before being shared externally. Continuous training is also viewed as critical, particularly as AI platforms evolve rapidly and introduce new functionality on an almost fortnightly basis.
The presentation explored how the company approached implementation. Considerations such as data security, legal jurisdiction coverage, accuracy and hallucination rates all played an important role in selecting the appropriate tools.
Ethics and regulation also formed an important part of the discussion. Dr. Schichl noted that some AI applications had already been rejected internally on ethical grounds before formal regulation emerged, reinforcing the importance of responsible deployment and sound governance.
Looking ahead, the session highlighted the changing expectations placed on both lawyers and external law firms. The modern lawyer, delegates heard, will increasingly combine strong legal reasoning with a practical understanding of technology and digital tools.
The session concluded with a live demonstration of an AI tool’s capabilities, including a compliance review and real-time translation functionality, providing delegates with a tangible example of how rapidly AI is reshaping the legal profession.