ForensisGroup says AI can’t replace human judgment in expert witness searches

ForensisGroup is emphasizing that artificial intelligence can speed up legal research, but attorneys still need human judgment to choose the right expert witness for a case. The company says the best match depends on the facts, the technical questions involved and the expert’s experience, communication skills and independence.

Why it matters: - Expert witness selection can shape how attorneys explain critical evidence, prepare reports and present testimony to a jury. - For complex disputes, a technically qualified name is not enough. The wrong match can miss conflicts, weaken credibility or leave key questions unanswered. - The issue is growing as litigation expands into fast-moving areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, digital assets, lithium-ion battery failures, drones and wildfire modeling.

What happened: - ForensisGroup, a Pasadena-based expert witness services firm, is highlighting the continued role of human judgment as AI becomes more embedded in legal research. - Mercy Tolentino Steenwyk, ForensisGroup founder and CEO, said AI can help people find information faster, but an expert witness is not just a search result. - Emily Lou Steenwyk, managing director at ForensisGroup, said the search for expertise has to start with understanding what the case actually needs.

The details: - AI-powered tools can identify professionals by specialty, scan public credentials, summarize backgrounds and surface potential candidates. - Those tools can help attorneys narrow the field, but they do not determine which expert is best suited to a specific matter. - The right expert may depend on the facts, the questions counsel needs answered, prior testimony, conflicts, communication skills and the ability to explain technical material clearly and objectively. - A lithium-ion battery fire may involve electrical engineering, battery chemistry, materials science, product design, manufacturing or fire origin and cause. - An autonomous vehicle crash may call for automotive engineering, software, sensors, human factors and accident reconstruction. - ForensisGroup says its “High Touch High Tech™” approach uses technology to improve efficiency while keeping human review in the process. - The company lists case fit, credentials, conflicts, litigation experience, communication and objectivity as areas that still require human evaluation. - ForensisGroup says technology should remove repetitive work and free staff to understand the case, talk with clients and evaluate experts. - The company says expert value still comes from specialized knowledge, relevant experience, independent analysis and the ability to explain conclusions clearly.

Between the lines: - The message is not anti-AI. It is that AI is best used as a filter, while people still make the final judgment call. - As technical fields overlap more often in litigation, the first challenge is increasingly defining the right kind of expertise before identifying the right person. - ForensisGroup is also reinforcing its brand around human-centered service, which may appeal to law firms that want speed without losing case-specific review.

What's next: - ForensisGroup says it will keep investing in its digital experience and internal technology. - The company expects AI to continue improving research and access to information, while human review remains central to expert selection. - Steenwyk said the firm’s responsibility is to understand client needs, identify qualified expertise and support a process grounded in “Nothing But the Truth®.” - More information is available on ForensisGroup’s website.