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Introduction
In the late 1600s, a German Attorney G. W. Leibniz theorized
that machines would someday use a binary system to calculate
numbers, and he envisioned a partnership between Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and lawyers and accurately
described the benefits that AI now provides to the legal
profession. According to him, “it is unworthy of excellent men
to lose hours like slaves in the labour of calculation which could
safely be relegated to anyone else if machines were used.”
AI refers to developing computer systems that use huge sets of
data to perform intelligent tasks such as understanding the natural
language, reasoning and decision making. It refers to a phenomenon
where the machine acts like a blueprint to the human mind, by being
able to understand, analyse and learn from the data through
specially designed algorithms. AI was introduced in the 1950s and
since then it has made remarkable progress in various fields. From
Alexa to Smart driven cars AI has made life easy for human beings.
Some of the areas where AI can be prominently seen are as
follows:
Smartphones, Smart Home Devices, Smart Keyboard Apps
Social media feeds and online ads network
Navigation and travel
Healthcare
E-commerce
Given the fact that AI has foot stepped in almost all walks of
life, legal domain is no exception. Such introduction of
technological advancement will aid the lawyers in conducting legal
research in an efficient and timely manner. Further by adopting AI
lawyers and firms will be able to focus more on advising their
clients and taking up complex issues/cases. Additionally, this
software has the capability to minimise the paperwork to a major
extent and is competent enough to store huge data and manage the
same with great efficiency.
In recent times itself, an American law firm has hired a robot
called ROSS to assist their teams in legal
research. This robot is built upon Watson, IBM’s cognitive
computer (a question answering computer system capable of answering
questions posed in natural language) and with the support of
Watson’s cognitive computing and natural language processing
capabilities, lawyers can ask ROSS their research
related questions. The robot then reads through the law, gathers
evidence, draws inferences and returns highly relevant,
evidence-based answers. Additionally, it also monitors the law
round the clock and notifies users of the new court decisions that
can affect their case. AI systems have been adopted by several
firms worldwide, but much needs to be done in many countries.
Areas where AI is helping the Legal Industry
It is believed by many that AI has an untapped potential within
the legal system. A combination of AI and law will witness immense
growth in the near future. The efficiency of AI can be for the
following activities:
Due Diligence – To review a contract,
conduct legal research or performing electronic discovery functions
to do due diligence.
Prediction Technology – To predict the
probable outcome of the cases being adjudicated before the Court of
Law.
Legal Analytics – To provide data points
from past case laws, and to provide judgements and precedent law to
be used by lawyers in their present cases.
Automation of Documentation – Submitting
the required documents which you wish to incorporate in your legal
document get your documents ready within minutes.
Intellectual Property – To provide
insights into the IP portfolios i.e. search and registration of a
trademark, Patent, Copyrights etc.
Electronic Billing – Artificial
intelligence legal software helps the lawyer and firms in preparing
the invoices as per the work done by them.
Myths about AI in Legal System
Will AI replace lawyers?
This is a classic fear of many but the same remains unfounded
till date. Even though AI software has the capabilities of
analysing the laws and giving evidence-based results, the
applicability of such analysis and research, the interpretation of
law and the implementation of the same is required to be done by a
lawyer. The AI can aid in providing materials, references and even
provide the likelihood of judgements basis the data stored.
However, the final execution and strategy for a particular case
requires human brain and skill.
Thus, though AI software will provide its assistance in doing
the primary work the ultimate and final decision making will depend
on the skills and abilities of the lawyers, needless to say that
the responsibility on the judiciary will also substantially
increase while passing the orders.
Is AI difficult to implement?
AI unlike any other software requires basic tuning and training
to acquire specialised technical skills. Such technically qualified
team will be an asset to any person from the legal profession.
Advantages of AI in Legal System
Time Saver – In order to solve a case or
draft a contract one needs to go through thousands of pages and
documents and requires extensive research. Therefore, use of AI
software can reduce the time and effort of the lawyers.
Error Reduction – While doing manual
research or analysis there is always a high risk of committing
errors. However, AI technology has the potential to reduce the
errors to zero and this in turn will save the lawyer after-effects
of drafting an erroneous document.
Cost Effective – Installation of an AI in
the initial stage may require huge investments, however in the long
term it will be very cost-effective as the productivity of the
people from within the legal profession will be enhanced.
Will demand higher level of intellect and proficiency
– The introduction of AI in legal profession will
demand higher level of intellect and proficiency in their practice
which maybe scares in the initial period.
Disadvantages of AI in Legal System
Risk and damages – With every document
being uploaded on the AI, there arises a higher risk of cyber
threats as such data can be easily hacked or can be stolen.
Prone to Damage – At the end of the day
the AI is a software which can create a huge mess due to little
damage and the said damage may not be reversible. Therefore, though
AI proves to be errorless, it cannot guarantee that the system will
not cause any nuisance to the operator.
Ethical concerns – AI unlike any other
software, is created by combination of multiple algorithms and will
show or give results basis the data fed or captured by it. One
needs to remember that AI itself does not have the brains to think
on its own and the same cannot be used in cases which carry
sentimental value or are of sensitive nature.
AI includes the ability to review, generalise, discriminate,
learn from the past, and find patterns and relations thereby
responding dynamically to the changing situations. AI without the
human supervisory control may lead to an unregulated environment
and cause unfortunate outcomes.
Therefore trust-worthy AI needs to have a defined ethical
purpose and technically robust and reliable systems.
With having a promising future in the legal profession, it can
be said that AI though being a continuously developing process may
also disrupt societies in a manner which is not fully in vision
yet. Therefore, AI and Machine learning is a dynamic process which
is constantly evolving and gets better as it gets bigger; requires
deployment of specialised hardware and human skills; have access to
data and the same is being continuously upgraded; and with
advancement can have improved algorithms.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
Source: https://www.mondaq.com/india/new-technology/1077030/artificial-intelligence–a-game-changer-in-the-legal-profession
