Tag archives: Artificial intelligence

European Commission’s approach to artificial intelligence (AI)

By Patrick Bracher (ZA) on June 11, 2018 Posted in General

The European Commission has labelled AI as one of the most strategic technologies of the 21st Century (so far of course) and has proposed a three-pronged approach to EU members which is worth considering: Investment in AI research and innovation must be increased. The EU (public and private sectors) is boosting investment by at least … Continue reading

UK’s Serious Fraud Office replaces barristers with robots

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 22, 2018 Posted in General

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), a government department that investigates and prosecutes serious or complex fraud and corruption, has replaced barristers with artificial intelligence (AI) to review documents and identify legally privileged material. While barristers were previously tasked with sifting through documents, the SFO’s new AI system is able to process more than half … Continue reading

AI in the law firm – Investigations and compliance

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 17, 2018 Posted in General

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in legal investigations and compliance is one of the most ground breaking ways in which AI is set to change the way in which lawyers do their work. AI is your new detective A fitting example of AI in legal investigation action is a due diligence of a company. … Continue reading

AI in the law firm – Predictive analytics

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 15, 2018 Posted in General

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is a critically important tool which empowers lawyers to work more effectively, and provide increased value to clients. One of the ways that lawyers and their clients can benefit from AI is through the use of predictive analytics. AI is better suited than its human counterparts to analyse and … Continue reading

AI in the law firm – AI is your new document drafter

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 11, 2018 Posted in General

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to change the way in which lawyers do their work. Apart from affecting areas like legal research and analysis, AI in the law firm has led to an increased focus on document automation. Large transactions often require an entire suite of legal documents, all of which take time to draft … Continue reading

AI in the law firm – AI is your new law librarian

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on April 11, 2018 Posted in General

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has long been eulogised and feared by the legal community. Augurs say that it will bring about efficiency and possibly bring an end to its antithesis – the billable hour. Unlike the once-common lift operator, AI is not set to replace lawyers any time soon, but it will, without … Continue reading

Chinese court gets robot assistant

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on February 19, 2018 Posted in General

China’s Supreme People’s Court has employed Faxin, a legal-services robot, which assists judges in sifting through reports and identifying laws relevant to cases. Faxin is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform aimed at transforming China’s overburdened legal system. Faxin is not the only such product currently being used in China. FaXiaoTao, a chat bot, matches clients … Continue reading

AI goes to law school (China)

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on February 18, 2018 Posted in General

Concerned with the influence of technology in practicing law, Peking University Law School is looking to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into curriculums by establishing a new AI research centre. Peking University Law School is partnering with a cloud-based analytical tool Gridsum to launch the research centre which will focus on the possibilities and opportunities of … Continue reading

Ontario AI legal challenge showcases latest AI legal developments

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on February 13, 2018 Posted in General

The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General and the Legal Innovation Zone launched an artificial intelligence (AI) legal challenge to encourage law firms to use technology companies that apply AI to legal applications. The six finalists each provide a unique approach using AI to solve legal problems in one way or another. Their work also … Continue reading

Free movement of algorithms (EU)

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on February 4, 2018 Posted in General

Freedom of establishment, one of the four freedoms of the European Union single market, will allow artificial intelligence (AI) with legal personality to move freely and be recognised within the EU single market. In a research paper published in Switzerland, it is argued that AI that enjoys legal personality under a member state’s national law … Continue reading

Will your next lawyer be a machine?

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on January 28, 2018 Posted in General

As with any other professional, artificial intelligence (AI) has lawyers wondering how it will disrupt their profession. Unlike the lift operator, AI is not set to replace lawyers, but rather to increase performance and enhance service delivered to clients. In two separate experiments that took place in the EU and USA, researches applied AI technology … Continue reading

Robo-directors in the boardroom

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 28, 2017 Posted in General

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly developing and may in the future get a seat at the boardroom table. The ability of AI to fulfil certain tasks, such as data collection and processing, at a pace exponentially faster than its human counterparts means that businesses cannot function properly without the use of AI in some shape … Continue reading

Lawyer vs artificial intelligence

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on November 20, 2017 Posted in General

Artificial intelligence (AI) software has beaten a group of lawyers from top international firms in an insurance claim accuracy test. A group of students from the University of Cambridge founded an AI start-up that builds systems that predict legal decisions. These systems were recently pitted against more than 100 partners and associates from major corporate … Continue reading

Artificial intelligence routed to gain juristic personality (Estonia)

By Adriaan Louw (ZA) and Patrick Bracher (ZA) on October 30, 2017 Posted in General

Estonia may become the first country in the world to grant artificial intelligence (AI) some form of juristic personality, giving robots personal rights and responsibilities. This northern Baltic country’s Economy Ministry is currently working on legislation to elevate the status of robots using AI to more than that of an object. It is still unclear … Continue reading