Part of an ongoing series exploring how women are experiencing the rise of AI in their work and personal lives.
One of the biggest promises surrounding AI is that it can replace knowledge work. It can draft documents, summarize research, answer questions, and produce content within seconds. That's exciting—but it also creates a dangerous illusion: that generating something is the same as understanding it.
After speaking with dozens of women across industries, I've noticed that many aren't using AI simply to move faster. They're learning where AI should stop and where human judgment has to begin.
My recent conversation with attorney Jaklin Sookiassian captures this perfectly. As AI-generated contracts, emails, and legal documents become increasingly common, she finds herself spending just as much time protecting clients from AI mistakes as she does using AI to improve her own work. Her perspective isn't anti-AI at all. In fact, she's optimistic about its future. But she also believes we're entering an era where expertise isn't becoming less valuable—it's becoming far more important.
Meet the Interviewee
Jaklin Sookiassian is the Managing Attorney at The Sookiassian Firm in the United States. She advises businesses and individuals on complex legal matters while embracing AI as a productivity tool—without losing sight of the professional judgment that technology cannot replace.
The Interview
Before AI became widely adopted, how would you describe your work and daily responsibilities?
My work consisted of drafting everything manually, responding to clients manually, strategizing about things with my team, and digging through internet research for hours to find answers to questions that now get answered in seconds. There have been many advantages to having AI as a tool, without a doubt. I can save time on research and draft professional emails in a fraction of the time it would take normally. These are all cost benefits to our clients, who pay for our work by the hour.
However, not everyone uses AI as a tool, and that is where the problem lies. On the surface it feels like a shortcut, but in reality it often creates bigger (and more expensive) problems down the line when those gaps come back to bite them
How does AI currently intersect with your work or personal life?
AI certainly intersects with my work life because it is a great tool to use, but I find myself often needing to protect my clients from it who lean on it irresponsibly. I can’t tell you the amount of AI drafted contracts I’ve been presented by clients who say “I already did the contract, can you just briefly review it to make sure it’s legit” and I usually can tell in an instant that it’s AI generated. And to be honest, they’re awful. AI is nowhere near drafting documents at an attorney level, but unfortunately that’s only recognized by attorneys. A lay person cannot differentiate between a good contract and a bad one.
I also find myself using AI in my personal life for different reasons. I use it mainly for fun or tedious projects like when I need to plan out a birthday party, need help with ideas for gifts, creating invitations for my kids birthday party, planning a trip itinerary, or find the best stroller on the market. I think it’s a great tool for tedious endeavors but I try to limit my use of AI to things that don’t actually require intellectual backing.
What AI tools, if any, do you regularly use?
I use Claude, Gemini and Chat GPT
Can you describe a specific moment when you realized AI was directly affecting your work, career, or personal life?
I had a client ask me to review a purchase agreement for the purchase of a business in Las Vegas. They had already signed an LOI, which was a short AI-generated LOI. They signed this before engaging me and that LOI was missing key provisions. The deal ultimately died because while we were in the process of reviewing the agreement, the seller went shopping around for a better offer from another buyer. He was able to do this because the LOI didn't restrict him from doing so.
What was your initial reaction? Please explain why you experienced that emotion.
I was concerned when I saw the LOI because I knew it didn't have the necessary language to protect the buyer from the seller going and shopping around for better offers while my client spent time and money on attorneys fees reviewing and revising the main contract.
What has been the biggest positive impact AI has had on your life or work?
AI has benefited my life and my work by cutting time doing tedious tasks, but I cannot rely on it to do anything that requires judgment or intellectual backing.
What has been the biggest challenge, frustration, or downside?
It's very frustrating when I see my clients suffer because of their reliance on AI. It is not reliable in the way people think it is and I saw a client spend thousands of dollars on a deal that ended up falling through because his AI-generated LOI was missing key provisions.
Has AI changed how you think about your skills, value, creativity, or professional identity?
It's certainly made me think about the value I have, and I've realized that lawyers are more valuable now than ever before because we're some of the few people who can recognize AI mistakes and shortfalls. Most people won't recognize a bad contract from a good one, and that's scary. I think creatively, AI has definitely helped with that. Like coming up with ideas for marketing and logo designs, I think AI has made those parts of my business much easier and more efficient.
Have you ever felt pressure to learn or adapt to AI faster than you were comfortable with?
I think I wanted to learn AI to know how to use it as a tool due to personal preference rather than external pressure. I'm a fan of utilizing resources and if there's a resource that can aid my work and business in a healthy way, and also sometimes minimize costs for my clients, then I'm all for it.
Do you think AI has affected expectations at work (productivity, speed, output, hiring, promotions, etc.)?
Not yet, but I think it definitely will in a few years when more businesses incorporate AI as part of its regular operations and employees are expected to use AI for various tasks for efficiency and accuracy.
What is one thing about AI that most people misunderstand?
I think people don't realize that AI engines like Chat GPT store their information. AI systems generally learn from human information to improve their accuracy, capabilities, and safety. They analyze collective user prompts, conversations, and feedback to refine model weights. This means that everything you've ever asked, photos you've attached, documents you've attached, are all stored in the AI database and are no longer private. Additionally, all of that is discoverable if ever subject to a court subpoena.
What advice would you give other women navigating AI's growing influence in their careers or lives?
I would advise them to learn to use it to their benefit where it's appropriate and within reason. There are many things AI can help with and many things that AI cannot be relied upon for. People need to be sure they understand the difference when using it.
Are you more optimistic or more concerned about AI's future impact? Why?
I'm optimistic because I know it's only going to continue to improve over time. I know that AI today versus AI 12 months ago has come a very long way. I am optimistic that 5 years from now AI will be extremely advanced and people will be able to rely upon it with more ease and confidence than they are today. I am worried about the jobs that AI may eliminate, particularly the jobs where human interaction is not an element of the job duties. That does concern me. As a parent, I think about what professions will be prevalent in society in 20 years, and I think there will definitely be a shift in popular career paths that my generation grew up pursuing.
Complete this sentence: "AI has changed my life by __________."
... streamlining certain aspects of my life while complicating others.
Final Thoughts
One idea kept coming back to me while reading Jaklin's responses: AI isn't just changing how work gets done, it is also changing where expertise becomes indispensable.
The legal profession is a powerful example. AI can draft a contract in seconds, but it cannot understand the commercial context, anticipate future disputes, or protect someone from the consequences of missing a single clause. That distinction only becomes obvious after something goes wrong.
That's a broader lesson that extends far beyond law. As AI becomes more capable, human judgment doesn't become less important—it becomes the quality that determines whether AI creates value or creates expensive mistakes. The professionals who thrive won't necessarily be the ones who use AI the most. They'll be the ones who know when to trust it, when to question it, and when experience must take over.
Are you a woman using AI in your work, business, studies, or daily life? I'd love to hear your perspective. If AI has changed how you work, create, learn, lead, or think about your future, share your story in the comments. I'm always looking for new voices and would be happy to interview you for a future edition of this series.
Top comments (0)