Trending technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence are now being used in almost every sector and the legal industry is no different. Operations like research recommendations and folder analysis are currently done with the help of AI. DISCO is a cutting-edge legal technology company developing legal services products backed by AI. Analytics Insight has engaged in an exclusive interview with Alan Lockett, VP of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, DISCO.

Can you tell me about DISCO, your role, and your responsibilities?

DISCO is a cutting-edge legal technology company developing legal services products backed by AI. I am the Vice President of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. In that role, I coordinate DISCO's technical approach to AI across products and lead a team of researchers and developers that implement our AI methods.

How does AI in legal practice actually work? 

Good AI technologies for legal remove obstacles and enable the lawyer to focus on the tasks that require their legal skills. There are two key ways this happens. First, AI channels the flood of digital information into comprehensible streams. In doing so, AI allows lawyers to keep up with the rapid pace of increase in digital information that lawyers have to review as part of their jobs, including emails, spreadsheets, chats, images, video, and audio. Second, AI integrates data from diverse sources such as documentary evidence, depositions, legal precedents, regulations, and statutes to help lawyers attain a cohesive understanding of the key issues for their clients.

Do we need to fear the Robo lawyer? 

AI technologies as they exist today are not competent to make decisions that require sophisticated legal judgment, but they give back time to the lawyer to make those judgment calls.  Misconceptions and fears about AI's role in the legal industry are misplaced and in some cases may prevent legal practitioners from adopting technology that could streamline their work. Technological innovation has changed the practice of law but not in the ways many might expect. Autonomous cyborgs are far from replacing the uniquely human aspects of legal reasoning. AI in the legal revolution will augment human intelligence––not replace it.

Should AI be exciting to someone with a law degree? Why? 

Absolutely. Law school graduates at every level of their careers should be excited about AI. Lawyers that do not embrace AI technology will not be able to compete with lawyers that do. The sheer amount of data involved in many legal cases make it unrealistic to practice law without the benefit of advanced technology. Once tasks such as documentation or reviews that don't require legal judgment are automated, lawyers can dedicate more of their time to practicing law. In the end, by allowing lawyers to focus on serious legal questions, AI can help lawyers to deliver more just and equitable outcomes.