Artificial intelligence is
finally jumping off the pages of sci-fi novels and into reality -- and we're not
just talking about the Roomba. Tech companies are starting to make
real advances into AI, really quickly. Now, some of them are
applying those advances to the legal industry, in IBM's ROSS platform and the
Microsoft-backed contract reviewing software, Beagle.
So... The robots are coming? The
robots are coming!
Getting Smart About
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has been
around for awhile, but in rudimentary forms. (AI programs were
solving high school math problems, on their own, in the 60's
and computer programs were
defeating
chess masters in the late 80's.) But only recently have artificial
intelligence developments gotten close to really aiding, and possibly replacing,
professionals like attorneys.
One of the recent revolutions in
AI is the proliferation of
successful machine learning. Machine learning allows computer
programs to develop independently, through observing, evaluating, and deciding
over and over and over again -- getting better each time. IBM's Watson
technology, for example, can learn what tastes you enjoy and create brand new
recipes based on those.
AI in the Legal
Sphere
IBM has taken its Watson
technology and applied it to the law through
ROSS. (ROSS
doesn't actually stand for anything.) ROSS is essentially a super-smart legal
research platform, allowing users to ask natural questions and get pinpointed
answers, instead of reams of statutes or caselaw.
Meet Beagle
ROSS isn't the only robot on the
market, though.
Beagle, a start up recently backed by Microsoft Ventures Accelerator, wants to
bring "advanced intelligence" to contract review. Its motto: "We sniff out the
fine print so you don't have to." According to the company:
Beagle reads your contract
in seconds and highlights who the parties are, their responsibilities, their
liabilities, how to get out of the contract and more... Beagle can be trained to
sniff for information important to your business. Over time, as contracts are
edited, tagged and collaborated on, Beagle learns and begins highlighting
information that's important to you.
Ready to Replace
Lawyers?
No, of course not. No smart
consumer would toss their attorney aside for a computer program -- at least not
yet. But ROSS and Beagle are starting to make inroads. Beagle claims that it can
help cut down on $30,000 small and medium-sized businesses spend annual on
contracts -- cash that could have been going to attorneys. ROSS too, promises,
to eat into attorney work. A partnership between IBM and Dentons is already allowing the
firm to handover simple tasks to ROSS -- the sort of boring work that would
previously be handled by associates.
The smarter lawyers will find
ways to get out ahead of the trend. The rest may be left behind.
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