Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how corporate legal teams and outside counsel manage data, analyze risk, and deliver value. But AI is simply one part of the process. At TCDI, we believe that maintaining human oversight is essential to ensure technology operates with fairness and within the right context.
When diverse teams work with these innovative tools, it creates what we call “inclusive intelligence.” This is a recognition that technology performs best when guided by the people it’s meant to serve. And, as AI becomes more engrained in legal workflows, inclusion evolves from a cultural value to a strategic advantage.
Inclusion as a Competitive Advantage
Considering inclusion to be a strength helps set the stage for how we innovate, because innovation doesn’t just happen. The best ideas emerge when people with different experiences, disciplines, and perspectives come together and work toward a shared goal. We see this every day in the way our cross-functional teams, made up of legal professionals, data scientists, technologists, and client experts, work side-by-side to solve complex challenges.
And we aren’t the only ones that feel this way. Research consistently supports the notion that diverse teams are more creative and make better decisions. A study by the Boston Consulting Group found that companies with above-average diversity on their management teams reported 19% higher innovation revenues. In eDiscovery, where innovation often means finding smarter, faster, and more ethical ways to manage information, that edge matters.
For us, inclusion translates directly to outcomes:
- Creativity, because varied perspectives help us see problems from angles others might miss.
- Retention, because people feel valued and heard when their perspectives shape the solution.
- Trust, because our clients know we approach technology with the same care and integrity that define our people.
These outcomes are integral to maintaining strong client relationships, because when inclusion drives design and decision-making, everyone from the teams who build solutions to the clients who rely on them, benefits.
The Human Side of AI Governance
The same inclusive mindset that sparks innovation within our teams also guides how we govern AI. There’s no denying that the promise of this technology in eDiscovery is extraordinary. It can accelerate document review, identify patterns across millions of records, and quickly surface insights that once took weeks to uncover. But with this power also comes responsibility.
AI systems are only as fair, transparent, and ethical as the people who build and train them. That’s why inclusion needs to be a cornerstone of responsible AI governance. When diverse voices are part of the design process, they help identify bias, ask different questions, and anticipate how systems might behave in the real world.
At TCDI, we draw on decades of experience managing sensitive data and developing our own legal technology to guide how we approach AI. Our roots in privacy and eDiscovery have taught us that governance as a checklist is not sustainable. It must be a central part of our culture. Whether we’re developing internal tools or advising clients on implementing AI responsibly, we bring that same mindset of transparency, accountability, and inclusion.
This approach aligns naturally with emerging frameworks and regulations surrounding ethical AI usage. Frameworks such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and legislation such as the EU AI Act emphasize fairness, explainability, and human oversight. Luckily for us and our clients, those principles aren’t regulatory burdens. They’re reflections of the way we already work.
Real-World Impact
And when inclusion shapes how we build and apply AI, the results speak for themselves:
- A multidisciplinary team could flag a potential gap in a training dataset that a homogenous group would overlook.
- A diverse review team might catch cultural or linguistic nuances in discovery data that improve accuracy.
- A cross-functional working group is more likely to identify an unintended bias in an algorithm before it reaches production, protecting both clients and case outcomes.
These are examples of how inclusive intelligence creates a noticeable impact in real-world eDiscovery matters. The result: better insights, fairer processes, and stronger client relationships built on trust.
Looking Ahead: Inclusion as the Future of Intelligence
The more you look, the more it becomes clear that inclusion and intelligence are deeply interconnected. AI serves to better human judgment, not replace it. And that judgment is only as strong as the diversity of the minds behind it.
At TCDI, we’re building the future of legal technology by ensuring that inclusivity is embedded into every layer: our teams, our governance, our data, and our decisions. We believe that when people from different backgrounds collaborate to guide AI with empathy and integrity, we not only create smarter technology but also a more equitable and human-centered legal system.
Because in the end, inclusive intelligence isn’t just about making AI better. It’s about making all of us better at what we do, together.
Emily Fedeles Czebiniak
Author
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Emily is an attorney with more than 14 years of experience across litigation, eDiscovery, privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. At TCDI, she helps shape the company’s technology strategy, focusing on responsible AI governance and the integration of generative AI into innovative workflows. A recognized thought leader in technology and data, Emily regularly shares her insights through speaking engagements and published work.
