Gilbert + Tobin scales AI with OpenAI, 87% seat activation

Gilbert + Tobin's AI rollout stands out because it deliberately avoided mandating usage targets. Instead, the firm focused on demonstrating what ChatGPT could do in role-specific workflows, with leaders like CEO Sam Nickless using the tool themselves and telling staff that 'AI is not cheating.' This approach, combined with a controlled introduction that started in operations teams, helped adoption spread naturally across marketing, finance, recruitment, and parts of legal work—reaching 87% active seats on enabled accounts as of June 2026, more than double the firm's typical tool adoption rate.

The firm's governance framework—clear guidance on approved tasks, role-based access, data-processing requirements, and Australian data residency—was key to scaling access while satisfying client expectations for confidential information handling. ChatGPT has delivered concrete time savings, such as cutting a recruitment research task from four hours to 20 minutes, and Codex has automated irregular tasks like preparing audit reports for 300 entities and renaming 1,100 files. These use cases show the firm progressing from AI as an assistant for discrete tasks to AI that executes defined steps in operational workflows, always under human review.

The ultimate test for Gilbert + Tobin will be whether it can extend this controlled expansion to broader access across ChatGPT Work and Codex without eroding the governance and accountability it has built. The firm's ambition to create an interconnected environment—where employees use ChatGPT to access approved context and complete workflows without manual system navigation—hinges on maintaining that same balance of enterprise-grade controls and professional judgment. As more legal and professional services firms explore similar AI adoption, Gilbert + Tobin's model of combining visible leadership, strict governance, and measurable operational gains could serve as a reference point, though its specific results depend on its unique culture and client requirements.