OpenAI launches legal version of its newest AI model

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has launched a new version of its newest model, GPT-6 Astra (a language model is the artificial intelligence behind the chatbot), tailored for lawyers and legal departments. The product is called Astra for Law and was presented on September 17.

Better results in tests

At its core is a search index with access to US case law, legislation, regulations and court rules spread across more than 230 million sources, updated daily. According to OpenAI, Astra for Law answered 54 percent of a series of legal test questions correctly, compared to just under 39 percent for the regular model when it used only ordinary web search. That corresponds to an improvement of about 40 percent, and according to the figures the model also found more relevant court cases than before.

The tool also comes with 26 add-on programs, so-called plugins (small programs that connect the AI model with other systems), built by Thomson Reuters, Harvey, Legora and iManage, among others, as well as a number of ready-made workflows that lawyers already use for things like contract analysis, due diligence ahead of acquisitions and preparing IPOs.

Limited access for big firms

Access is limited for now. Astra for Law is rolling out through OpenAI's so-called Trusted Access program in ChatGPT and in Codex, the company's programming tool, and is aimed especially at large US law firms in the Am Law 200, meaning the 200 largest firms in the US. Firms such as Sullivan & Cromwell, Ropes & Gray and Cooley are named as examples of firms already testing the solution. OpenAI also highlights strict privacy rules, including that user data is not stored or used to further train the model.

A version for developers, a so-called API (technical access that other companies can build their own products on top of), is on the way, but with no announced date or price. The companies behind the legal AI tools Harvey and Legora have already been named as upcoming customers of this developer version.

Not yet relevant in Denmark

OpenAI has not published any price for Astra for Law itself, and nothing has been announced about when, or whether, the tool will come to Denmark or the rest of the EU. The indexes cover only US law, and access is currently reserved for selected US firms. The news is therefore most relevant for Danish companies and lawyers with US lawsuits or clients, rather than ordinary Danish ChatGPT users, at least for now.

What it means for you

If you or your company have legal cases in the US, it may become easier to search US legislation and case law going forward. Right now, the tool is only for selected large US law firms, so ordinary Danish ChatGPT users can't use it yet. If you work with US law or US clients, it may be worth watching whether your company or law firm gets access.