A storm may be coming for legal professionals. We have seen the power of Artificial Intelligence (A.I) technology and their electronic brains being hired for ordinarily human tasks. Sure, we may have been warned of the possibility of technology taking over law after some time, BUT now it has actually happened. An American law firm, has hired an A.I lawyer to assist in the firm and other firms have agreed to hire similar AI services.What does the mean for the law industry? Will it become harder for law graduates to find a job after law school?
So What is A.I. Technology?
Artificial intelligence is the mind of machines or software. The academics behind this technology study how to create computers and software that has intelligent capabilities. The aim of this powerful technology is to increase chances of success in areas in which they are placed in. In a society where technology advancement is ever so rapid, we cannot resist the power of it. There is no doubt that this sort of technology will better firms in an efficiency sense, but what will we lose on a more personal level? The firm has said that for now, the A.I lawyer cannot completely replace the job of an experienced lawyer, it can merely assist.
Where Does This Leave Traditional Lawyers and Their Firms?
The real competition this technology poses is with the education of today’s lawyers. The problem lies in the ability for the A.I to collect legal research and data in a fast number of seconds. Whereas, a lawyer may be spending hours on end trying to achieve the same means. Could then, large law firms lessen their fees to clients? If A.I were to be introduced, the reality would be that firms wouldn’t have to pay humans to do the work. This possibility also raises questions of fairness. Will the A.I technology mean equal access for all clients without the high fees involved when selecting lawyers? It all depends on how a firm decides to use this technology. It may simply be a tool to assist in the high intensity research and literature processes.
See our other articles on Digital Privacy and legal rights for robots.
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