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38 U. Tas. L. Rev. 34 (2019)
Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession: Becoming the AI-Enhanced Lawyer

handle is hein.journals/utasman38 and id is 192 raw text is: Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession: Becoming The AI-Enhanced Lawyer MICHAEL LEGG* AND FELICITY BELLt Abstract Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have given rise to concerns about its impact on the labour market, including professional occupations such as lawyers. hile some have foretold the end of lawyers, we suggest that AI will enhance humans' abilities and allow lawyers to better perform their role. hile AI will reduce the cost of some elements of legal work that were previously undertaken by lawyers because AI can perform those elements more efficiently, other aspects of lawyers' work will become more valuable. In particular while machine prediction will replace human prediction, human judgement which includes knowing what to do with machine predictions so as to achieve a desirable outcome for the client will be more valuable. As with other advances in technology, though, there will be a needfor retraining. I INTRODUCTION Artificial intelligence (AI) is enjoying a renaissance due to increased computing power, growth in the availability of data and improvements in algorithms.1 This revival has heightened expectations as to what AI is capable of achieving and led to doomsday predictions where humans are redundant and there is mass unemployment.2 This fetish for prophesizing the end of humanity has also afflicted predictions for the future of the legal profession, with some speculating that lawyers will be replaced by robots.3 This research was undertaken with the support of the Law Society of NSW Future of Law and Innovation in the Profession (FLIP) Research Stream at UNSW Law. Professor and Director of the FLIP Research Stream, UNSW Law. Research Fellow, FLIP Research Stream, UNSW Law. 1 See, eg, Jerry Kaplan, Artificial Intelligence, What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2016). 2 Martin Ford, Rise ofthe Robots: Technology and the Threat ofaJobless Future (Oneworld, 2015); Jerry Kaplan, Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Yale University Press, 2015). Reporting has also focussed on automated weapons and developments which more directly impact human existence but which are not addressed here. I See, eg, Gary E Marchant, 'Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Legal Practice' (2017) 14(1) ABA SciTech Lawyer 20, 21, providing the following sample of media headlines: 'Rise of the Robolawyers', 'Here Come the Robot Lawyers', 'Why Hire a Lawyer? Machines are Cheaper', 'Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software', 'Law Firm Bosses Envision Watson-Type Computers Replacing Young Lawyers', 'Why Lawyers and Other Industries Will Become Obsolete. You Should Stop Practicing Law Now and Find Another Profession'.

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