AI is set to change the legal industry as we know it. Many companies and government entities around the world are looking for ways to use AI to make work more efficient, and the legal world is no exception.
The future of law and legal AI is an exciting prospect. It has the potential to make the law more accessible, affordable and much more effective.
Upsides, and How AI Might Change the Practice of Law
Several legal entities around the world are voicing their views on how AI might impact how law is being practiced. For instance, the Law Society of England and Wales claims that there are rapid developments in AI that will have a significant impact on the legal profession. What’s more, Stavanger Advokat – Advokatfirma Tingmann in Norway mentions in one of their webinars that the legal field is not prone to being replaced by AI anytime soon, but as the technology becomes more developed, it might begin taking over some repetitive tasks such as sifting through evidence.
Legal AI is not a new concept. But with the advancement of AI and machine learning, it is now possible to automate a lot of the tedious tasks that are time-consuming for lawyers.
Some of these tasks include:
Legal research
Lawyer discovery
Legal document review and analysis
Legal contract review and analysis
Downsides of Using AI for Legal Cases
There are many complications with using this technology in legal settings. One issue is that some people may falsely accuse people of committing a crime, something that might not be caught by AI. Another problem is that AI cannot at the moment answer cross-cultural questions like what is ok to steal and what’s not, as well as the degree of the theft according to the country. One could imagine that stealing a Buddha statue would be a much greater crime in India than in the UK, and the like. Yet another downside is that many workers in the legal profession might experience unemployment.
Not to mention, AI is not yet a substitute for human intelligence and legal professionals. It cannot provide the same level of understanding and analysis as a human. AI can still only be used to find patterns in large datasets, which is not enough to provide the necessary evidence for legal cases.
By and large, AI has a lot of potential in law, but it is not a replacement for human lawyers. It will be a tool that will allow them to do their jobs better and faster than ever before.
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The Future of Law and Legal AI
