Gartner Survey Shows AI and Contract Analytics Are Urgent Priorities for General Counsel

Artificial intelligence (AI) and contract analytics have emerged as urgent strategic priorities for general counsel (GC) in the second half of 2025, according to Gartner, Inc. a business and technology insights company.

“According to a Gartner survey of 104 GCs in July this year, more than a third of GCs (36%) are focused on adopting AI, building AI skills in their department or improving AI risk management in their organizations, highlighting the growing importance of technology to legal leaders,” said Laura Cohn, Director, Research in the Gartner Legal & Compliance Practice.

Further, 9% of GCs said they wanted to use advanced contract analytics and technology tools to better manage contract risks and reduce costs. While not the most selected topic, contract analytics notably comes ahead of several other important areas, such as defending critical legal department initiatives/spend.

These two topics – AI and contract analytics – have captured a significant amount of GC attention, along with the perennial priorities of evaluating the business impact of the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environment and increasing the speed of assessing emerging risks (see Figure 1).

“In a slowing economy, contract analytics’ importance is growing, because it can help speed up contract processes, reveal risks, and identify renegotiation opportunities,” added Dian Zhang, Senior Research Principal with the Gartner for Legal, Risk & Compliance Leaders practice. “However, adoption remains challenging, with over a third of GCs (37%) reporting relatively low confidence in using advanced contract analytics.”

Based on this data, Gartner experts have identified four action areas for GCs in the second half of 2025:

• Sharpen AI Risk Management
  GC should focus on identifying and mitigating the most significant risks associated with organizational AI use, drawing on peer governance models to inform their approach.
  
  “Establishing clear policy foundations, including risk tolerance, decision rights, and disclosure obligations, is crucial, as is managing third-party AI risks with targeted strategies,” said Cohn.

• Learn How Other Legal Teams Use GenAI
  GCs can accelerate AI adoption by learning how peer legal teams leverage generative AI (GenAI) to streamline operations and reduce costs. Reviewing real-world GenAI use cases—such as analyzing enforcement trends or streamlining hotline case intake—helps identify high-impact, feasible applications.

• Upskill the Legal Team on AI
  Building AI literacy within the legal team is critical for effective adoption and risk management. GCs should leverage existing training resources, collaborate with IT, and draw on law firm best practices for GenAI prompt engineering.

• Prioritize Contract Analytics Use Cases
  The success of advanced contract analytics initiatives depends on vendor selection and the readiness of people, processes and data prior to implementation. GCs should focus on addressing key legal challenges and carefully evaluate the benefits, risks, and maturity of each potential application.
  
  “By aligning advanced contract analytics projects with business goals and considering factors like vendor capabilities and readiness, legal teams can drive ROI and improve the efficiency and consistency of enterprise contracting processes as well as overall contract compliance,” said Zhang.

Gartner clients can access insights on the survey at AI, Contract Analytics Stand Out on 2H25 GC Agenda and nonclients can read: Build a Digitally Enabled Legal Department.