At this year’s Relativity Fest in Chicago, legal technology firm Relativity announced a major expansion of its AI toolkit by including two generative AI review modules—aiR for Review and aiR for Privilege—in the standard RelativityOne subscription. This move underscores the company’s ambition to democratize advanced machine learning tools for all of its cloud customers, rather than positioning them as optional premiums. By weaving these solutions into its core offering, Relativity is signaling that AI-driven review is no longer a luxury but a foundational element of modern eDiscovery workflows.
Since their debut, aiR for Review and aiR for Privilege have demonstrated the potential to transform document assessment at scale. More than 200 firms have already deployed these modules, collectively reviewing tens of millions of pages across hundreds of matters. Early adopters report remarkable reductions in manual effort—some projects that once spanned weeks can now wrap up in days, with fewer reviewers on the bench. My own conversations with litigation teams confirm that the clarity and consistency of predictive coding speeds up decision-making and frees attorneys to focus on strategy rather than sifting through mountains of data.
Looking ahead, Relativity previewed two exciting additions: aiR Assist, a conversational search interface designed to uncover key insights in minutes, and aiR for Case Strategy, which builds chronological narratives, distills pivotal facts, and streamlines witness prep. By the first quarter of next year, these capabilities will also become standard in RelativityOne, giving legal teams a seamless path from finding documents to constructing compelling arguments. In my view, this integration will help bridge the gap between discovery and trial readiness, making strategic planning an early deliverable rather than a last-minute scramble.
Relativity’s emphasis on early case intelligence illustrates a broader industry shift toward proactive data analysis. As data volumes swell and deadlines accelerate, firms need AI that lives “further to the left” of their process, surfacing critical patterns and flagging potential risks before the review even starts. Embedding generative AI at the ingestion phase not only speeds up insights but can also reduce costs by targeting only the most salient records. In practice, this means counsel can refine scopes, anticipate privilege challenges, and build a roadmap for discovery well in advance of court mandates.
By folding its most advanced AI tools into the standard cloud package, Relativity is redefining expectations for legal review platforms. Rather than gating innovation behind expensive add-ons, the company has chosen to make cutting-edge automation universally accessible. This philosophy promises to accelerate adoption, drive down per-document costs and empower smaller practices to compete on an even footing. As generative AI continues to mature, I believe Relativity’s approach will serve as a blueprint for other vendors seeking to balance technical ambition with practical affordability. Ultimately, the most significant winners in this shift will be the clients who benefit from faster, more accurate and more defensible legal outcomes.
