Last week, a group of big-name judges had a chat with lawyers about artificial intelligence (AI). It’s changing the game in law, and it’s not going anywhere. They said lawyers need to get with the program and figure out how to use AI the right way.
Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter broke it down with a car analogy. She explained that just like you need to know the basics of keeping your car running, you don’t need to be a mechanic to drive. Similarly, lawyers don’t need to be AI wizards, but they’ve got to know enough to use it without messing up.
AI in law isn’t all black and white; it’s got its upsides and downsides.
Making law easier but, it’s not perfect
One cool thing is that AI can make legal help more accessible. In Utah, there’s a Sandbox where new, nontraditional legal help can be tried out. This includes chatbots that give legal advice and tools that help make legal documents. So far, 24,000 people have gotten help this way.
However, there’s a downside. When AI tools pull from a ton of legal writings, they might also pick up and spread biases. Plus, fancy AI tools might end up only being for those who can afford them, leaving others with not-so-great options.
Judges also mentioned that rules around AI are kind of lagging. Congress isn’t rushing to put laws in place, so there’s a lot of freedom, but also a lot of unknowns. For example, Colorado is looking at rules about AI in elections, like making it clear when images or videos of candidates are AI-made.
Judges stepping up
Some judges aren’t waiting around. Like Judge S. Kato Crews, who now requires lawyers to say if they used AI in their court papers. The idea is to make sure lawyers double-check the AI’s work before they submit anything.
The judges talked about how AI is already causing some hiccups in court. Lawyers got in trouble for using AI that made up fake legal references. It shows that while AI can be super helpful, it’s also a bit of a wild card that needs to be used carefully.
The big takeaway? AI isn’t going to replace lawyers, but lawyers who are really good at using AI might have the upper hand. It’s not about banning AI in law but learning to use it responsibly. This way, everyone stays on the right side of tech advances.
What’s next?
As AI keeps getting bigger in law, everyone from judges to the newest lawyers needs to stay sharp. It’s about making sure AI helps more than it hurts and keeping an eye on making law fair and accessible to all.
In short, AI’s changing law big time, and it’s up to everyone in the legal field to keep up. Whether it’s making law more accessible or dealing with new tech challenges, the future of law is here, and it’s powered by AI.
