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ARTICLE · 29 JANUARY 2026

AI And Investigations: From A Helping Hand To A Source Of Evidence

A&O Shearman
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Artificial intelligence is already embedded in how many organizations operate and investigate.

United StatesTechnology
Thomas Declerck
Thomas Declerck
Christina Zachariasen
Christina Zachariasen
David Schmid
David Schmid
Daniel Smith
Daniel Smith
Amy Edwards
Amy Edwards
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Artificial intelligence is already embedded in how many organizations operate and investigate. It speeds up document review, detects anomalies, drafts notes and interview questionnaires, and surfaces patterns. It now also creates new categories of evidence. For in-house teams and investigations leads, the question is no longer whether AI matters, but how to run reliable investigations where AI is both a tool and a source of evidence.

The modern investigation dataset

Modern investigations involve far more data than before. In-house teams need to find relevant facts quickly, defensibly, and at a reasonable cost. The data is no longer largely limited to email and shared drives. It includes chat, collaboration tools, and mobile content. The variety and scale make both collection and review harder, and auditability key.

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