10 ways to use contracts AI beyond drafting and reviewing contracts

You can use AI to build a timeline from emails, compare supplier proposals or turn a signed contract into a checklist of obligations. Here are ten practical uses beyond drafting and reviewing documents, with examples to try.

General-purpose AI chatbots can help with these tasks too. goHeather makes them easier to handle in a business setting, with lawyer-created prompts, a built-in clause library and an integrated Word editor for applying changes directly to your documents.

That means less time figuring out how to instruct the AI, reusable legal wording at hand, and less copying and pasting between a chat window and the document you need to finish.

1. Turn a signed agreement into an action list

A services agreement may require regular reports, insurance certificates and customer approvals. AI can pull those obligations into a checklist for the team delivering the work, showing who is responsible and when each item is due. Where the agreement is silent, ask it to leave a question for the team to resolve.

Try this prompt: Create an implementation checklist from this agreement. Include each obligation, the responsible party, its deadline or trigger, and the relevant clause. Flag anything that is not specified.

2. Build a chronology from correspondence

When a dispute develops, the sequence of events matters. AI can help assemble emails, letters and meeting notes into a chronology, with a source for each entry. This gives you a starting point for checking when an issue arose, what each party knew and what they did next.

Try this prompt: Build a timeline of this delivery dispute. Distinguish the date of each event from the date it was reported, and identify any conflicting accounts.

3. Answer a specific business question

You may need to know whether a contract permits a price increase or requires consent before subcontracting. Ask that question directly, then use follow-up questions to explore the conditions and exceptions. Request the supporting wording so you can check the answer in context.

Try this prompt: Can we increase our fees during the current term? Identify any restrictions, notice requirements and customer rights that affect the answer. Quote the relevant clauses.

4. Compare commercial options

Supplier proposals often describe similar services in different ways. AI can arrange the details into a consistent comparison, helping you see what each price includes. For software proposals, that might mean separating license fees from implementation charges and identifying differences in support or cancellation terms.

Try this prompt: Compare these proposals in a table covering fees, implementation, support and cancellation. Mark missing information as not stated, and list the questions we should ask each supplier.

5. Prepare a briefing for the right reader

A finance director and an HR lead will need different information from the same acquisition report. Tell the AI who will read the briefing and what that person needs to decide. A focused summary can bring relevant findings and unresolved questions together without reproducing the entire report.

Try this prompt: Prepare a one-page briefing for our finance director. Focus on payment commitments, contingent costs and financial questions that remain unresolved. Include references to the report.

6. Explain or translate difficult wording

AI can help explain a clause to someone who does not work with legal documents every day. It can also produce a working translation of foreign-language text. In either case, ask it to preserve the conditions and exceptions that affect the meaning.

Try this prompt: Explain this insurance clause to our operations team in plain English. Identify the coverage we must maintain, the evidence we must provide and when it is required.

7. Extract information into a usable table

Checking several agreements for the same details can mean a lot of opening files and copying text. AI can help collect those details into one table. A lease schedule, for example, could bring together rent adjustment provisions, renewal options and notice requirements, with clause references for verification.

Try this prompt: Create a table from these leases showing the premises, term, rent adjustment provisions and renewal notice requirements. Include source references and flag any missing or ambiguous information.

8. Find relevant wording in previous work

A useful precedent may express an idea without using your preferred search term. AI can help locate provisions by meaning within the files you make available to it. For example, you could look for clauses restricting the transfer of contractual rights, even where the wording varies between agreements.

Try this prompt: Find clauses in these agreements that require consent before contractual rights can be transferred. Return the wording, document name and clause number, and identify any exceptions.

9. Structure rough notes

Notes from a client call may mix background facts, unanswered questions and things to do. AI can separate those into a matter outline that is easier to work from. Keeping confirmed information separate from assumptions also helps the next person understand what still needs checking.

Try this prompt: Organize these notes into background, confirmed facts, open questions, documents needed and next steps. Do not add facts or assign responsibilities that are not recorded.

10. Categorize clauses for future use

A collection of saved clauses is more useful when people can find the right material. AI can suggest consistent labels by subject, such as payment, intellectual property or termination. You can also ask it to flag clauses covering several topics, so useful wording does not disappear into a single category.

Try this prompt: Label these clauses by subject. Use multiple labels where needed and flag anything that does not fit the categories. Keep the original wording and source reference alongside each label.

Try it on a task you already do

Choose one recurring task and a document you know well. Specify the output you want, ask for source references and check the result against the original. For work across several files, make sure the tool can access and process the full set.

In goHeather, lawyer-created prompts help you get started, the clause library provides reusable wording, and the built-in Word editor lets you apply changes directly to your document. You can use AI to work through a question and carry the result into the document you need to send.

Try goHeather with your next agreement and one of the tasks above.