By now most people have heard of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help with almost anything, whether legitimate or not. There are new images made by combining pictures from the past, new songs written in the style of an artist, old songs "performed" by a different artist, college essays written, tax questions answered, travel suggestions made and on and on it can go.
So how does this technology affect clients with matrimonial/family law problems? Well just like Google and before that encyclopedias it can often be a good place to start but will always lack the depth of real knowledge, experience and interaction. So a client can look up the child support formula but AI will not likely provide the exceptions or the deviations from the apparent rule. Likewise, AI will not know the actual tendency of a particular judge, nor will it know how strong the adversary is or is not. AI will not take into account the cost of the litigation.
Having a personal attorney with experience will always be critical to obtaining the best possible results. It is not so different from using "Dr. Google" which may tell you what the standard treatment is but will not be analyzing your test results or actually touching the problem area to feel the size and depth, feel whether soft or hard, examine the color or personally looking at the CT or MRI scans besides just the written report.
Divorce cases with issues of custody, parenting time, asset identification, asset value, asset distribution, separate or marital property, child support, spousal support, debt distribution, credits for past payments will be much too complicated to rely upon an AI suggestion on one question without looking at the total situation.
I can watch You Tube do-it-yourself videos, I can buy tools at Home Depot, I can ask questions but that does not mean I will have the experience and the technique to properly measure and cut sheetrock and then spackle and paint it the way a professional who has done it a 1,000 times before can do.
So AI can help give baseline information and provide a general overview of a topic but there is no replacement for an attorney with actual experience and empathy guiding a client through one of life's most challenging series of events.