Will artificial intelligence really make professionals obsolete? Not only we believe that AI will not replace professionals, yet we are also firmly convinced it could be a great tool to provide a more efficient response to the needs of our clients.
Taking advantage of the ongoing discussion on the recent approval of the draft of Regulation on Artificial Intelligence (the so-called 'AI Act') by the European Parliament, which is bound to become the first piece of legislation on this subject in the world, this month's newsletter explores four simple and immediate uses of AI for professional firms.
a. translating technical concepts into common language
One of the most challenging tasks for professionals is to convey complex technical concepts to clients with a non-technical background, abandoning the reliance on concepts that would require years of study and work to be fully understood. The best example is the legal sector, where conveying important concepts in an unclear or erroneous manner could lead the client to make wrong decisions, with serious consequences from an ethical or insurance point of view for the professional.
AI can be trained to translate these concepts into language that is comprehensible for non-professionals.
This not only improves transparency and understanding between client and professional, but it can also help to prevent misunderstandings and possible future disputes.
b. processing and transforming documents and texts
Although we are convinced that AI will never have the sensitivity that it takes to draw up a proper defence or professional opinion, we are strong supporters of its profitable use for the purpose of accomplishing simpler tasks.
For instance, some AIs are capable of 'reading' an email and setting up an initial draft of reply, or consulting the professional's calendar and automatically scheduling an event or deadline, or even filling in a presentation from a simple input or a whole text, allowing the professional to step in and focus on or adjust the relevant content.
c. assistance in regulatory research and updating
Another challenge for practitioners consists of finding quick and reliable information on the latest legal and case-law updates, a necessity that often arises in a context of emergency for the client.
By combining a constantly updated case law and jurisprudence database with the computational power of artificial intelligence, it is rapidly possible to obtain reports, commentaries and short essays for an initial or in-depth dive into a specific subject. Of course, it will always be for the professional to pick the right materials for the relevant case from the (at times overwhelming) output of the AI, on the basis of his or her own experience.
d. predictions and strategic analysis of the results of proceedings
As a consequence of the legal analysis carried out as the previous point, AI systems can analyse a bulk of case law and identify the common features within a set of cases, contributing to the ability of practitioners to predict the possible outcome of the strategies employed in the course of the proceedings.
In brief, focusing on its more practical (and perhaps less sci-fi) uses, AI has the potential to become a great ally of practitioners. However, these will have to make sure to deploy such technology in their firms by complying with all the relevant ethical and compliance obligations - many of which will only really be defined after the AI Act comes into force and will require a case-by-case examination - taking into account the insurance and liability implications that could arise reckless use.
Originally published 23 June 2023.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
