Amanda Stupka
The AI revolution has left everyone scratching their heads to learn what exactly AI is capable of. This past week The Wall Street Journal took to the streets-specifically the drive-through-to learn what the limits of our AI colleagues are. With a rumbling stomach and a personal vehicle, their reporter went to Hardees to ask for burgers, fries, and ketchup. She asked for it with onions and without. She asked for it over a screaming baby and a dog barking. She even asked for extra pickles and what the gluten content of a cheeseburger was. Overall, it was a success.
Backed by some of the most advanced AI technology in the world, the AI system went an admirable 27 for 30. With a human backup and the steaks stakes being, well, burgers, 27 for 30 is good enough. And while batting .900 would make you the best ball player of all time, it wouldn’t fly in a law office.
The law requires precision and accuracy. Current AI tools are good at certain things. Extractive AI, that that extracts information from text, is currently quite good. Generative AI, not so much. Tools like the chatbot at the drive-through rely on generative AI to take orders and carry a conversation with a customer. This is the technology that has created all the hubbub.
As a result, the world is imagining all the possible uses of generative AI and what industries it could disrupt. Is this the end of writers and artists? Is this the end of lawyers? Is this the end of high school English? Is this the end of the world?
While it is certainly true that ordering a burger with a 90% success rate may be acceptable to most consumers, it is not the case in the arena of law. Imagine being in a contentious legal dispute and your lawyer tells you “Don’t worry. This brief was written using generative AI. 90% of it should make sense.”
Would you take that? No! You would look for a new lawyer. We understand that which is why our platform uses AI-we’re no luddites-but we only use it in specific situations.
The hype masters of AI are like oblivious contractors. You’re trying to build a house and they’re in the corner of the lot cheering you on. Loudly. Unfortunately, they can’t see that you’re using a hammer to lay concrete. Tools are only as good as their owners. Artificial intelligence in its current iteration is a tool. One that can be helpful in certain contexts. But for the most part, it’s not ready for the big leagues. Lawyers would do well to keep that in mind.
PlainVanilla has been studying AI and its uses a bit longer than most. We use AI for what AI is good at (and we have other tools for what it’s not so good at). All put together on one integrated platform focused on making the contracting process easier for lawyers and everyone else involved. If this sounds of interest to you or you would like to learn more about what AI can do today check out our website or email info@plainvanilla.co.
