In Geneva with Women in Switzerland
For several years now, I have been part of an association based in Switzerland that brings together women (a network of more than 6000 professionals) who are involved in technology and promote business opportunities and equality in a sector that has historically left too little space for women. Women in Digital Switzerland invited me to discuss last week in Geneva about Artificial Intelligence in the legal field. The host of the evening was Nadia Mojahed, an expert in SEO, who discussed the latest implementations of AI in marketing. You can find some of her very interesting content (both for those involved in e-commerce and for marketing and SEO in general) here: https://www.seotransformer.com/blog/
I always find it very useful to explain the basics of Legal Innovation and the various applications it can have for both small and large companies. This time we discussed with an audience largely composed of non-legal professionals about the limits and opportunities behind the latest developments in generative AI. We talked about how a system supporting many types of business can be implemented in a world historically resistant to change and evolution, like the legal world. On one hand, AI has proven to be skilled enough to pass the bar exam in the United States, but on the other hand, it has also shown arrogance in not wanting to lose at any cost, even going so far as to invent legal precedents just to make its client win.
Recent studies have estimated that 44% of a lawyer's activities can be replaced by processes and automation, leading to the question of when we will truly be ready for this change. When will we be able to trust the system enough to make it our legal alter ego?
Some of the most interesting corporate legal sectors to consider implementing AI in are undoubtedly processes for the creation and storage of large quantities of contracts, as well as the analysis of tens of thousands of pages of legal documentation for purposes such as control or due diligence. The basic element that unites the necessity and value of these implementations is the law firm's (or legal department's, in the case of in-house) ability to measure and be measured in a more stringent and uniform manner, collecting data on elements more or less important for the development of best practices in the company, in an office that has always been reluctant to measure itself with data and figures and very attached to measuring efficiency solely from a qualitative point of view. Today, it is important to understand how many contracts and which ones are used among the available templates, how much time can be reduced in the analysis of clauses in a series of templates to analyze a specific aspect of responsibility or risk in the company, having an effective response in a short time to a sudden problem in crisis management. In all these cases, AI systems can be essential partners in the game, and the close relationship with the company's technological departments becomes crucial.
In a European regulatory framework that is slow to harmonize and write once and for all the rules (including ethical ones) to adhere to in the use and limits of AI applications, being cautious is useful to avoid sudden reversals dictated by future limiting or pervasive norms. The large-scale repercussions of copyright issues related to AI-generated content, both visual and textual, based on previous authors who have entered the AI databases as a source for generating new content, are still to be understood. Designing business needs without abusing the tools and capabilities (all to be tested) of AI is always the most effective way to avoid unpleasant surprises while being ready for change.
If you are in Switzerland, want to participate in WDS events, or are interested in getting in touch with fantastic professionals with many useful experiences to share, you can sign up, donate, or become a partner here: https://www.womenindigitalswitzerland.com/