It is clear that the legal system is evolving at a rapid rate thanks to technology. It seems as though every week, new technological developments invade domains that were formerly occupied by people. This revolution is being led by artificial intelligence (AI), as AI-based systems (like ChatGPT and its upcoming competitors) are increasingly capable of doing legal tasks that were previously handled by experienced attorneys. A reactive regulatory strategy, in my opinion, will be ineffective in stopping this unrelenting robotic march since, in many ways, the horse has already left the barn and will never come back. So how should we respond to this drastically altered scenario as clients and, more crucially, as practicing lawyers, given this new reality? Will "robots" take the role of lawyers? Will the need for lawyers be eliminated?
An emphatic "no" is the obvious response. Since societies are built on the formation, interpretation, and enforcement of laws, lawyers have been essential to the smooth operation of those societies. However, it is obvious that as technology develops and AI-based systems become more advanced, the job of lawyers will shift. It is more possible that lawyers will operate alongside AI-based systems, leveraging their special talents and knowledge to support and improve these systems' capabilities than being "roboted out" by them. Customers might utilize AI, for instance, to get answers to their general concerns without hiring a lawyer, freeing up the lawyer to work on more complicated situations. Additionally, lawyers may utilize AI to help with legal research and document analysis, giving them more time to concentrate on the more intricate and subtle parts of the legal process, such as client counseling and negotiation.
The demand for lawyers, however, may vary as a result of this development. For instance, there might be less need for entry-level attorneys who are primarily responsible for document review and research, but increasing demand for more seasoned, specialized attorneys who can give clients high-level, strategic advice. This change may also result in the emergence of new legal positions with a focus on the design, implementation, and administration of AI-based systems in the legal sector.
It's also critical to remember that AI-based technologies are not a magic solution for the legal sector. They can't handle every legal task, and they can't take the place of the empathy, inventiveness, and human interaction that are crucial to a successful legal practice. The day of a robot arguing before a judge1 although interesting as to its novelty is many moons away from mainstream and regulatory acceptance. But it is clear to me that state bar associations and other interested parties will need to think critically through these issues to ensure that the legal industry is adoptive versus prohibitive in this regard. Therefore, it is imperative that the legal profession adjust to this new reality by embracing technology and ethically integrating it into their practice. It will be necessary for the legal profession and the tech sector to work together while continuing their education, training and adoption of these powerful systems.
There will inevitably be opportunities and problems for the legal profession as a result of the incorporation of AI into the legal system. It is crucial for attorneys to adjust to this new reality by embracing it, without sacrificing our required professional ethics and value of the human elements of empathy and creativity in the legal industry. In my opinion, we owe our clients and society nothing less.
News and Developments:
Robo-lawyers to the rescue (in court)? Read more.
This lawyer says that AI not displacing lawyers anytime soon. Read more.
Plaintiffs bring class action against AI art platforms for theft. Read more.
Product of the Week: Content at Scale
I love trying new technology so I want to share some tools & resources that I have found helpful.
With the rise of more and more AI generated written content, the ability to detect AI written articles was naturally to follow. Similar to plagiarism, the market provides solutions to determine if something was written by a robot or by an actual human. Imagine that? One solution is Content At Scale, an AI copyright tool, which as part of its array of features, provides a simple interface to copy and paste the selected content to be examined by their system. Within seconds, a user is given a “human content score” that indicates the likelihood of whether the reviewed content is “real” or “fake.” This space is quite interesting and I predict will only grow in popularity especially in academia’s current struggle as to how to address the numerous problems of student’s using publicly available AI tools to generate quality essays and papers. Think of this as AI being used against AI. Content At Scale’s AI detector is currently available in its “early access” stage and I am sure will only improve over time. Check it out.
That’s all for this issue of Law Botics!
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It should be noted that an AI firm Do Not Pay is planning to do this very thing even though I view this as a marketing ploy than a watershed moment for the legal industry.