Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a part of you every-day life. The future is now —ChatGPT on your favorite e-commerce site, facial recognition that unlocks your phone, and predictive AI-driven algorithms are influencing what you buy and where you go.
Artificial intelligence can deliver significant efficiencies and cost-savings from improving the time and cost of conducting legal research and analysis, document management, and billing.
The American Bar Association’s first rule covers ‘competence’ and an attorney’s obligation to provide ‘competent representation’ to a client. Industry experts argue that artificial intelligence or ‘automated decision-making’ has inherent biases embedded into it.
Who is legally liable should a law firm utilize an AI platform that produces an inaccurate or biased conclusion? What are the unforeseen legal outcomes that may arise as smart computers learn and develop independent conclusions? Is the attorney liable for using this technology?
Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in Law
Consider using this powerful technology as a means of augmenting, rather than replacing support staff.
- E-discovery legal software scans documents using search terms such as dates and geographic location relevant to a case, saving time and resources.
- Legal research software can quickly scan and search large databases of regulations, statutes, practice areas, case laws, and more. The time and resources saved helps attorneys conduct a more complete review to better serve their clients.
- Document management solutions utilizing tagging: stores, organizes, and helps locate legal files, contracts, case files, etc. with ease. This technology also speeds up the considerable time spent for due diligence.
Artificial Intelligence frees up attorneys to devote more time to the client relationship while increasing productivity by eliminating labor intensive, time consuming tasks that affect the bottom line.
ChatGPT — Boost Productivity & Save Time
OpenAI’s ChatGPT and many other AI tools can help lawyers do their job better and save time to give their clients more personal attention. ChatGPT provides users with quick access to information to their questions. Instead of listing a series of links to review, ChatGPT gives you a link that has analyzed data from millions of websites.
The ChatGPT learns, giving you more useful information the more you interact with it. If the answer is too technical, ChatGPT simplifies the answer in language that is easier to understand.
ChatGPT can:
- Create your daily work schedule and prioritize tasks. ChatGPT can also reprioritize certain tasks that must be acted upon as-soon-as-possible.
- Help generate ideas and create rough drafts for time consuming tasks like drafting legal documents and responding to emails.
- Identify cases, highlighting critical judgments that can help your team determine how to best represent your client.
For attorneys, due diligence is a time consuming necessity that the firm must devote considerable resources towards for their clients. ChatGPT is simple to use— visit the ChatGPT website and type in your requests.
Limitations of Artificial Intelligence
- Fabrications, including factual errors captured by generative AI software can lead to biased, inaccurate information that may impact legal findings.
- Generative AI chatbots may collect privileged material violating intellectual property (IP) protections making your case inadmissible and potentially liable.
- The prevalence of unsubstantiated, biased, fake news that can be collected by AI is not credible and may inadvertently sully the integrity of the data sourced.
- Additionally, accessing and obtaining information illegally may result in reputational and legal damages.
Trust, But Verify
There are certain issues for which there is no answer. There are problems where it is impossible for the algorithm to provide a correct answer. These problems are called ‘undecidable’.
At the core of artificial intelligence is its ‘mathematical reasoning’. Abstract concepts and issues cannot be computed by a smart machine. In cases where there is no answer available fuels distrust.
Understanding what and how data is collected necessitates oversight. There is no question that artificial intelligence can augment and improve the speed and accessibility of information to better serve the clients needs.
Adopting new technologies that streamline routine legal tasks, save time, and help you to provide more personal attention to meet your client’s needs is a big deal. It’s critical to use this technology responsibly and know the limits and liabilities that AI presents to your firm.
Lots of opportunities going on in the legal industry right now. Don’t make a move without assessing your worth in the marketplace. Let us be your GPS! We create a strategic plan that is unique to your needs.
Call 516-731-3400 or email Shari@onbalancesearch.com. To learn more about compensation visit our website at https://www.onbalancesearch.com.
#law #lawjobs #lawyerlife #attorney #legalrecuriter #legalcareer #trust #dataintegrity #artificialintelligence #ChatGPT
Source:
Harvard University — Trust, But Verify: A Guide to Algorithms and the Law
https://jolt.law.harvard.edu/assets/articlePDFs/v31/31HarvJLTech1.pdf
About On Balance Search Consultants
On Balance offers great insight and industry intelligence. Shari Davidson, president of On Balance Search Consultants, advises law firms on how to take a firm to the next level and helps rising talent make the transition to the right law firm.
Contact us today. Call 516.731.3400 or visit our website at https://www.onbalancesearch.com.
Please note that the content of this blog does not constitute legal advice and is only intended for the educational purpose of the reader. Please consult your legal counsel for specifics regarding your specific circumstances and the laws in your states pertaining to social media and any legal restrictions regarding the law.
