How GCs can step up in an AI-driven, global market by 2030

In our latest webinar with our partner Emerald Technology, we asked:

“Would you describe yourself as an AI-driven lawyer?”

The poll results revealed a sharp divide: 60% said yes, 21% were unsure, and 19% said no.

That single question set the tone for a provocative conversation about the role of AI in legal leadership. If the majority of lawyers already see themselves as “AI-driven,” what happens when AI stops assisting and starts replacing? And what will it take for GCs to remain at the centre of global business by 2030?

What if AI became a rival, not a tool?

Our panel - Jacq Abernathy (Juro), Adam DeSanges (Emerald Technology), Alex Haskell (ElevenLabs), and Tanisha Minev (Docplanner) — explored how fast AI is reshaping the GC role.

A few themes stood out:

1. The new GC skillset
“Strategic” has long been the buzzword, but in 2025 that baseline is already shifting. Today’s GC needs to think cross-functionally, balancing conscience against speed, and guiding businesses into new markets without slowing them down.

2. The AI tipping point
With 93% of in-house lawyers saying their boss wants them to use AI more than they do today (Juro’s State of In-house Report), pressure is mounting. Some lawyers are leaning in — others are quietly resisting. But either way, the tipping point is near. If AI can draft, review, and even negotiate contracts, where does the human lawyer fit?

3. Risk, speed, and scaling in the grey
AI moves faster than regulation. That leaves GCs in the uneasy position of enabling growth while protecting against risks that regulators haven’t yet defined. In this context, the GC’s role becomes less about saying “no,” and more about mapping the safest route forward.

When AI fails, who’s accountable?

One of the most debated questions was responsibility. If AI hallucinates a contract clause, or misses a compliance risk across jurisdictions, who’s on the hook? The consensus was clear: accountability will still sit with humans. GCs must both leverage AI and be ready to absorb its failures.

This paradox captures the challenge of the decade ahead: legal leaders must adopt AI to stay relevant, but they must also shoulder the risk when it misfires.

The GC as mapmaker

Rather than shrinking away, the GC role is expanding into something broader: the “mapmaker” for global growth. That means charting new markets, aligning with leadership, and setting guardrails — not just on legal issues, but on ethics, risk, and speed.

The lawyers who embrace this evolution will remain central to scaling businesses worldwide. Those who resist may find themselves sidelined.

Final reflections

AI isn’t just transforming the legal function — it’s reshaping how companies think about risk, speed, and headcount. For GCs, the question is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to lead with it.

The lawyers who describe themselves as “AI-driven” today may be the ones shaping global expansion tomorrow. The rest risk being left behind.

Want to continue the conversation? Join the Juro community and stay connected as we explore how legal leadership is evolving in the era of AI.