The use of AI is more prevalent than ever before in the field of cybersecurity and the online practices of corporations. In a recent session at ABA Techshow, a presentation covered the benefits of AI implementation in law practice (Reynolds, 2021). AI can overcome technical obstacles and complete tedious tasks faster and more efficiently. After all, it takes AI to sift through terabytes of data in only a few minutes. Without the human factor, the menial and repetitive work can be done quickly to let lawyers and attorneys focus on the aspects of their work. AI doesn’t exist to replace lawyers but to assist them.
However, there are a substantial number of pitfalls to implementing AI in legal practice. For instance, AI commonly relies on datasets that include biases. This requires IT specialists to run frequent checks and balances on their AI to maintain its ethical and legal direction. AI makes companies susceptible to ransomware attacks, corporate spying, and theft. The best solution to these issues is to employ advanced cybersecurity software and a response plan to the attacks. Additionally, it is suggested that attorneys follow their insurance coverage closely. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be a lasting solution because, with advancements in security AI, there are likely to be developments in AI focused on malware, theft, and cyber attacks. It does not help that there have been cases of insurers denying coverage after a company had suffered a cyberattack.
In the end, there are many benefits of AI applications to large firms that have a lot of unprocessed data or smaller firms that do not have the staff to cover all the tasks that need to be done promptly. However, bringing AI to legal practice has some potential hazards that do not currently have air-tight solutions.
Reference
Reynolds, M. (2021). Lawyers warned of AI pitfalls, cybersecurity attacks and deepfake threats. ABAJournal.