David Lat

AI position

No x-risk mention

Covers AI's impact on courts and legal practice, not existential-risk debates.

Why influential

Owns a direct subscriber relationship and can repeatedly shape a high-value niche without depending on a traditional newsroom's front page. Primary policy lanes: courts; judges; legal industry; judicial nominations.

Who pays attention

Lawyers, judges, law-firm leaders, clerks, legal recruiters and judicial reporters

Work samples

• AI Can Assist Human Judges, But It Can't Replace Them (Yet)

  Jan 1, 2024 · article

  Feature on whether AI could replace human judges, quoting law professor Frank Pasquale and former federal judge Katherine Forrest (both legal, not AI-world figures).

• New Court Rules For AI: Stop The Insanity

  Jan 1, 2025 · article

  Commentary on proliferating, inconsistent court rules governing lawyers' use of generative AI.

• AI Data Center Dealmaking: Steven Messina

  Jan 1, 2025 · podcast

  Podcast interview with Skadden Arps M&A lawyer on legal work behind AI data-center deals; guest is a corporate lawyer, not an AI-world figure.

• How Law Firms Can Lead The Agentic AI Era: Sabastian Niles

  Apr 29, 2025 · podcast

  Interview with Salesforce's President and Chief Legal Officer on agentic AI and law-firm AI adoption; Niles is a corporate legal officer, not an AI researcher/lab figure.

• The Top 10 Stories Of 2024 In Law And The Legal Profession

  Dec 1, 2024 · article

  Year-end roundup of major legal-industry stories.