Generative AI is making waves, with tools like ChatGPT astonishing users through its uncanny ability to generate reams of sophisticated text with just a few simple prompts by the end user. Exciting as this development is, though, what does it actually mean for the legal space? Is there room for generative AI at law firms and corporate legal departments, and if so, what are the potential use cases? A Different Kind of AI Before diving into these use cases, it is helpful to understand a bit about generative AI and the large language models that underpin it. Unlike machine learning models, which are trained to perform specific tasks and have been employed in the legal space for several years for tasks like document classification, a large language model ingests enough material to create a ‘worldview’ of sorts that it can draw upon to then generate new content based on what it’s already read and absorbed. How do you ensure, however, that your large language model has an accurate worldview? One way is via a process called ‘grounding’, which ensures that any answers generative AI produces or any content it creates is grounded in quality content, like the material found in a law firm’s precedents database, document management system (DMS), or other quality sources. This grounding prevents generative AI from going off on wild flights of fancy when it is pressed into service – a prerequisite for any law firm or corporate legal department that wants to take advantage of this technology. Effortless Unlocking of Knowledge One of the first areas where generative AI can potentially provide value is around access to knowledge. For example, what if a knowledge management system (KMS) had a ChatGPT-type interface where users 46 LAWYER MONTHLY JUNE 2023 Special Feature Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely seen as a promising field of technology for the legal sector, with ‘generative’ AI causing a stir in 2022 and continuing to rise in prominence today. iManage’s Head of Data Science, Jan Van Hoecke, expands below on what generative AI is and what it can accomplish for the legal sector. What Are the Practical Use Cases for Generative AI in Legal?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz