Better together: How contract professionals can thrive with AI

The debate around artificial intelligence in contract management has shifted from “Will AI replace humans?” to “How can we work together most effectively?”

According to a recent World Commerce and Contracting report co-authored by Agiloft’s Chief Product Officer Andy Wishart, the answer lies not in viewing AI as a replacement, but as a powerful collaborator that can elevate the strategic value of contract professionals.

In a recent episode of the “Beyond the Research” podcast, Wishart offered a roadmap for organizations looking to harness AI’s potential while maintaining the human judgment that remains critical in complex contracting scenarios.

From execution to enablement: redefining your role

The fear that AI will eliminate contract management jobs stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what AI actually does best. Rather than replacing human expertise, AI excels at handling the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that often bog down contract professionals.

“AI is not about replacing people. It’s about trying to elevate them and their role within the organization,” Wishart explained. “I think for many contracting professionals, that means shifting from a mindset perhaps of execution to a mindset of enablement.”

This shift is already happening across industries. According to McKinsey’s 2025 State of AI report, 78% of respondents say their organizations use AI in at least one business function, up from 72% in early 2024 and 55% a year earlier. In contract management specifically, this translates to AI handling tasks like metadata extraction, contract redlining, and clause standardization, while humans focus on strategic negotiations, risk interpretation, and relationship building.

The key is developing what Wishart calls “AI fluency”; not becoming a data scientist, but understanding how AI works, what it can accomplish, and where human judgment remains irreplaceable. This fluency enables contract professionals to interpret AI outputs, apply contextual understanding, and challenge AI recommendations when necessary.

The four-factor framework for smart AI implementation

Not every contract management task is suitable for AI automation. WorldCC has designed a practical framework to help organizations make these critical decisions. The framework evaluates tasks across four dimensions: complexity, frequency, interconnectivity, and cost of failure.

Consider this practical example: implementing a new confidentiality agreement across all suppliers. This task is high frequency (touching many relationships) and low complexity (standardized approach), making it ideal for AI automation with minimal human oversight.

Contrast that with renegotiating a contract during a supply chain crisis; a scenario that’s become increasingly common. While AI can assist by analyzing contract terms and suggesting alternatives, the high complexity and cost of failure demand significant human judgment and contextual understanding of vendor relationships.

“Handling that could be assisted by AI,” Wishart noted, “but it still demands high levels of human judgment and the contextual understanding of the importance of that relationship with that particular vendor.”

The interconnectivity factor is particularly crucial and often overlooked. Contract management is inherently collaborative, involving legal, procurement, finance, and business stakeholders. Successful AI implementation must account for these collaborative pathways, ensuring that AI-flagged issues are properly routed to the right decision-makers through established workflows and approval processes.

Building a culture of curiosity, not blind trust

According to a 2025 survey by Deloitte, despite a strong belief among 93% of Chief Legal Officers that GenAI can bring significant, quick benefits, most legal departments haven’t moved past small-scale pilot programs. They continue to struggle with implementing AI across their entire department and see real, widespread advantages. This also extends to the AI solutions offered by their legal service providers, which have yet to deliver substantial benefits to many legal departments.

The gap often lies not in technology adoption, but in cultural readiness. Wishart’s advice for bridging this gap is practical: “Don’t treat AI as just another tool. Think of it as an assistant. Think of it as perhaps even a new colleague.”

This perspective shift requires building what Wishart calls “a culture of curiosity, a culture of critical thinking.” Contract professionals should be encouraged to ask fundamental questions:

• What is the AI recommendation based on?
• Is there potential for the AI to miss important business context?
• How can we validate AI outputs against our organizational goals and risk tolerance?

The strategic advantage of human-AI partnership

The real opportunity lies in combining AI’s processing power with human strategic thinking. While AI can analyze contract terms at scale and identify potential issues based on predefined parameters, humans bring irreplaceable capabilities: understanding organizational priorities, reading between the lines in vendor relationships, and making judgment calls that consider factors beyond what’s written in the contract.

“AI is not going to replace the experience of the contracting professionals that do have that deep understanding of the organization’s goals and the organization’s risk levers,” Wishart emphasized. “It’s about trying to amplify that as well.”

Practical steps for getting started

For contract professionals ready to embrace this partnership, Wishart suggests focusing on building skills in scenario planning and deepening understanding of organizational commercial goals. These capabilities become even more valuable when combined with AI’s analytical power.

Start small with low-risk, high-frequency tasks where AI can provide immediate value while you build familiarity with AI outputs. Gradually expand to more complex scenarios as your team develops confidence in interpreting and challenging AI recommendations.

The key is maintaining healthy skepticism while remaining open to AI’s potential. Question AI outputs, understand the reasoning behind recommendations, and always apply your contextual knowledge of business relationships and organizational priorities.

Looking ahead to a collaborative future

The conversation around AI in contract management is evolving rapidly, but one thing is clear: the future belongs to organizations that can effectively combine human expertise with AI capabilities. This isn’t about choosing between humans and machines—it’s about creating partnerships that leverage the best of both.

As Wishart concluded, “Organizations that invest in that sort of cultural shift to one of curiosity and critical thinking are the ones that are going to really unlock the value that AI has got to offer.”

The message for contract professionals is reassuring: your expertise isn’t being replaced, it’s being elevated. The question isn’t whether you’ll work with AI, but how effectively you can partner with it to deliver better outcomes for your organization.

Ready to explore how human-AI collaboration can transform your contract management processes? Check out our on-demand webinar, “AI-Enhanced Contract Review: Leveraging Playbooks and Smart Workflows.”