Adoption of AI and ML in Legal Practices
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If one has to list the most disruptive technologies of this digital age then Artificial Intelligence should be among the tops mentions. In recent years AI has played a significant role in making the legacy systems smarter and more responsive, despite being in its primary stage of development. The technology has made its way into most known industries with the major players taking a lead in further advancements of AI.
Talking of the legal profession, AI can be great for automating the usual repetitive jobs, while human professionals use their expertise in areas that need a more cognitive approach. The amalgamation of both will result in productivity enhancements and significant results, not to mention the saving of time and resources. This write-up will highlight how the use of AI and Machine Learning (ML) can improve or enhance legal operations.
AI and its Branches: AI not a single entity but more of a combination of multiple technologies such as Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation, and Natural Language Processing. ML algorithm helps the computer to find patterns by getting it access to huge volumes of data. Reiterations in the data and consumer feedback enable the program to detect and learn the patterns followed by improved accuracy in predicting user behavior.
NLP or Natural Language Processing is used by computers to decipher and analyze language both written and spoken like other data types. Robotic Process Automation offers applications that can take charge of the monotonous jobs in business processes so that the human angle can be eliminated and put to use in more complex affairs. The adoption of AI uses a combination of all the above to provide precise solutions in streamlining any business process.
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The Role of Machine Learning: Experts in the field of AI and technology all agree that there is a widespread misconception regarding AI among people. Many highlight it as a PR problem, because despite the consistent coverage in media, there is hardly any proper material on the significant improvements in the technology. We hardly get to hear anything about AI that goes beyond facial recognition, assistive robots, cyber surveillance and likewise.
Machine learning, a very important aspect of artificial intelligence that enables the computer to learn instead of feeding it with commands. It is an algorithm designed in a way to learn and recognize patterns in the data sets and then follow it by predicting the same patterns in the new data sets. More data allows the program to analyze better, making it smarter.
The program runs on a self-training module where it teaches itself by extensively combining through a bulk load of data sets. Using that knowledge the program makes predictions. When used in legal operations, ML program sifts through the data related to invoices, legal records, etc. to train itself and recognize similar patterns. The legal professionals further the process through feedback for better results and predictions.
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Use of AI in Legal Operations : The basic idea behind AI is a machine that can think and take decisions by itself without any human interference. Over the years, especially in the last decade, the advancements in software, hardware, the advent of new technologies and the accessibility to a large amount of data, higher computational power and progressive algorithms has paved way for significant advancements in the field of AI.
The recommendation system of Netflix and Amazon, image recognition of Facebook, virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, and Microsoft’s Cortana stand as some of the viable examples of AI development over the years. All these have led the legal professionals to believe that AI can make noteworthy improvements in the field, and some have already taken a step towards adoption.
The very first instances of using AI in legal are in the eDiscovery process, which requires reviewing of substantial amounts of data sets. It is a grueling process and takes up a lot of time from lawyers that they can invest in actual important cases. An AI program can take up the role of delivering faster and more accurate results, by detecting data patterns.
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At present, many eDiscovery solutions make use of machine learning to provide relief to the attorneys, making AI valuable in the legal sector. The algorithms keep advancing making the program smarter gradually. The eDiscovery use case is just the tip of the iceberg, as AI has great potential and applications that are yet to be put to practical use. By employing AI and Machine Learning, the legal and claims departments can improve compliance with billing regulations which is a very important division of law firms.
AI truly offers great opportunities in efficiency, cost and boost productivity. As technology evolves it will find more use cases not only in legal but in other industries as well.
