AI Tracked Changes
Definition
AI tracked changes is a feature that presents AI-generated edits to legal documents in the standard tracked changes format used in Microsoft Word and other word processors. Rather than generating a new version of a document, the AI produces its suggestions as insertions, deletions, and formatting changes that lawyers can individually accept, reject, or modify.
Tracked changes are the lingua franca of legal document collaboration. Lawyers have spent decades working with the tracked changes paradigm: proposed edits are visible in markup form, and the reviewing attorney exercises judgment on each change. This workflow is deeply embedded in legal practice, from internal review to opposing counsel negotiations.
AI tracked changes preserve this established workflow while adding AI capabilities. When an AI assistant suggests revisions to a brief, redlines a contract, or updates language for a new jurisdiction, it presents its changes in the familiar tracked changes format. The lawyer reviews each suggestion individually, accepting changes that improve the document and rejecting those that do not. This preserves professional judgment and creates a clear audit trail of what was changed and why.
The tracked changes format also addresses a key concern about AI-generated legal work: transparency. When changes are presented as tracked changes, it is immediately clear what the AI modified. Contrast this with systems that generate entirely new document versions, where identifying what changed requires a separate comparison step. Tracked changes make AI assistance transparent by default.
How Irys approaches this
Irys generates all document edits as tracked changes, whether in the web platform or the Word add-in, so lawyers maintain full visibility and control over every AI suggestion.
Related terms
AI Drafting Assistant
An AI drafting assistant is a tool that helps lawyers create, edit, and refine legal documents using artificial intelligence. These systems can generate first drafts from instructions, suggest clause language, maintain consistent terminology, and adapt documents to specific jurisdictional requirements while preserving tracked changes for attorney review.
Legal TechAI Redlining
AI redlining is the automated process of reviewing and marking up legal documents with suggested edits, using artificial intelligence to identify issues, propose alternative language, and flag provisions that deviate from standard terms or a firm's preferred positions. The output is typically presented as tracked changes that lawyers can accept, reject, or modify.
Legal TechAI Word Add-In
An AI Word add-in is a software extension that integrates AI capabilities directly into Microsoft Word, allowing lawyers to access research, drafting assistance, redlining, and cite checking without leaving their primary document editing environment. This integration eliminates the context-switching between AI tools and the word processor where legal work product is ultimately finalized.
Legal TechAI Document Comparison
AI document comparison uses artificial intelligence to identify and analyze differences between two or more versions of a legal document. Beyond simple text-diff tools, AI-powered comparison understands the legal significance of changes, categorizes modifications by type and risk level, and can summarize the substantive impact of revisions.
See AI Tracked Changes in action
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