Speaking to Bloomberg, Mr Immelt said: 'I think there is a gap about what people speculate what these AI programs could do, and what they can do today. It’s not a situation where I see those tools having a dramatic effect this year, next year or two years from now.' Looking particularly at M&A, he added: 'I don’t think people are going to use two computers and get to do their whole M&A analysis. I think AI can be hyped.'

Pull, rather than push

On another theme, he said that general counsel are 'pretty tired' of 'law firms just pushing things at them'. Far better for his 2,400-lawyer firm, he said, is the more selective approach of telling the client what things should be worrying them. He said: 'It’s more of a pull approach, than a push. That is easier said than done.' Source: Bloomberg Business of Law