What Does AI Mean For Legal Researchers?
Today, many legal professionals already use artificial intelligence (Al) in their work, although they may not realize it.
Today, many legal professionals already use artificial intelligence (Al) in their work, although they may not realize it. Even among the most tech-savvy attorneys, questions remain as to what Al means for legal professionals today — and in the near future.
Three common questions about AI:
- What is the definition of Al and how does it differ from other types of technology?
- How will Al technologies change the way legal professionals work?
And, perhaps most importantly:
- How do you know when Al technology can be trusted in the legal industry?
In this article, Thomson Reuters Westlaw™ answers these questions with the perspectives of our expert attorney-editors and technologists.
What does artificial intelligence mean?
Is Al just a meaningless buzz word? Are robots trying to take over the world? Many industries have different concepts of what Al is and what it does, therefore, any useful discussion of Al must begin with a common understanding of the term.
Erik Lindberg, Senior Director of Westlaw Product Management at Thomson Reuters, defines Al as “the simulation of human thought processes in a computerized model.” For Westlaw developers, that means teaching computers to mimic human behavior and thoughts in order to find the most relevant and accurate results. What does this mean for legal professionals? Saving time on legal research without sacrificing confidence.
A good example of AI is the use of Natural Language search in Westlaw. Those of you who have been using Westlaw since the early 1990s may recall a time when it was necessary to utilize Boolean Terms and Connectors in order to surface meaningful search results. Then, Westlaw implemented Natural Language search capabilities which allowed the computer to recognize the way humans naturally think and use language.
Integrating natural language technology on Westlaw meant that instead of humans learning to think like machines, machines were taught to operate around the way humans think. This made searching within Westlaw easier than ever and made legal researchers more efficient.
Read the full article for more on what AI means for the future of legal research.
BONUS: Check out these related articles for more insights from the experts:
