What is the difference between generative AI and autonomous AI in law?

Generative AI produces text when a person asks for it. Autonomous AI executes legal work end to end: it detects what a case needs, starts the task, completes it, and hands the finished work to an attorney for review and approval.

The difference is who initiates. A generative tool still leaves the queue of casework waiting on a human to start each job. An autonomous system clears the queue and reserves human judgment for the decisions that need it. That is why the distinction matters more for a law firm’s operations than any improvement in drafting quality.