Lawyer explains when a contract drafted by a neural network has legal force and when a human lawyer is needed

A neural network can draft a valid contract

A contract prepared by a neural network will have legal force, said, in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru, Alexander Khaminsky, a lawyer and head of the Center for Law and Order in Moscow. According to him, the legal force of a document depends not on who drafted it, but on its content and compliance with legal requirements. For everyday services — booking a photo shoot, a plumber's work or minor repairs — consulting a lawyer every time is, in his view, not necessary: modern AI models are capable of preparing a standard document, taking the client's interests into account, and formulating payment terms, deadlines and the contractor's liability.

How to write a prompt for AI

Khaminsky stressed that the neural network needs to be properly and thoroughly briefed: specify who the client and the contractor are, what result is required, and which terms are essential for the parties. In the contract, he said, it is necessary to spell out the parties' full names, passport details and addresses, the subject of the contract with a detailed description of the service, the start and end dates of the work, the price, liability for delays and defects, and termination conditions. For a photographer or videographer, he advises separately stipulating the deadlines for delivering the materials, their format, and the rights to use the footage.

The main risk — made-up rules

The fact that a contract was prepared by a neural network does not deprive it of legal force: if the requirements for form are met and the essential terms are agreed, it is valid on general grounds. However, the lawyer warned that AI-generated references to laws and court practice must be double-checked — AI may cite rules that are no longer in force, misinterpret current ones, or even invent non-existent ones.

When a professional is needed

For contracts covering expensive services, Khaminsky advises consulting a lawyer or at least having the finished document reviewed: a potential mistake can cost serious money. According to him, there is no universal price threshold beyond which a specialist is mandatory — for everyday services it is enough to check the actual terms and details, but for expensive renovations, construction or deals involving significant sums, skimping on legal review is not justified. The article comes against the backdrop of reports that Russians had previously been warned about the difficulties of getting money back after following AI financial advice.