We hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays with your family and friends and that 2026 is off to a great start for both your personal life and your business!
As we enter this new year, we naturally tend to reminisce about what went well last year and opportunities for improvement in the upcoming year. I try to do this early in the year to determine what I would like to keep and what I would like to work on in the coming months and year. For me, an area I would like to work on and that we, as a firm, are working diligently on, is determining how we incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into our lives and our work. While AI is, of course, in all the news with many wild predictions, and is exciting (and nerve racking sometimes) to think about, I am focusing on what we can control when it comes to AI.
The energy surrounding AI is undeniable, it promises efficiency, creativity, and transformation at a scale we’ve never seen before. Yet, with this enthusiasm comes uncertainty and, for many of our clients, colleagues, and ourselves, confusion. How will AI reshape the way we work? What risks accompany its benefits? And how do we harness its potential responsibly both in our personal lives and at work?
At SS&K, these questions aren’t theoretical—they’re practical. Over the past year, clients have reached out to share how they’re integrating AI into their businesses and how they have begun using it. Several times a week a client mentions that they’ve researched an issue using AI or that they used AI to draft documents for them as an initial starting point. Sometimes those documents are a good starting point and sometimes they dramatically miss the point. Usually because AI is unaware of the context, the relationships, the background and most importantly the goals and priorities of the client. Rather than fighting this, we are embracing our clients’ use of AI but trying to help them understand its limitations, its tendency to hallucinate (make up facts, laws etc.) and to guide them in how to use it effectively.
Internally, we’ve embraced this moment as an opportunity to innovate. Our team meets regularly to explore how AI can make our work more efficient and effective for our clients—while maintaining the highest standards of security, confidentiality, and professional ethics. We’re committed to integrating these tools thoughtfully, ensuring that technology enhances rather than compromises the trust you place in us.
The road ahead promises to be exciting and changing at a rapid pace. AI will continue to evolve, and so will the legal and regulatory frameworks surrounding it. Our promise is to stay informed, stay engaged, and keep you updated as we navigate this new frontier together.
We’re looking forward to a fantastic 2026 and wish you the best of luck in the coming year. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals in the months ahead.
-Brandon Smith