Artificial intelligence (AI) is wide-ranging branch of computer science concerned with building smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. AI is an interdisciplinary science with multiple approaches, but advancements in machine learning and deep learning are creating a paradigm shift in virtually every sector of the tech industry. In recent times in different industries, from robotic concierges in hotels to automated entertainment or mobile phones, we have seen artificial intelligence being applied on a small but highly efficient scale. The form of different industries has been modified by artificial intelligence. In terms of technology and lawyers, the Indian legal sector has seen very little progress these days, still comfortable and dependent on the techniques and solutions designed years ago. In India, artificial intelligence will play a major role in changing the way lawyers act and the law is looked at. The Indian legal system is vast and constantly evolving and lawyers can get unprecedented insight into the legal domain within seconds through the use of Artificial Intelligence. A large number of man-hours are needed at present to get legal research completed and this greatly decreases the profit-making potential of a law firm, but the entire legal fraternity can be balanced with Artificial Intelligence.
An artificially smart research platform can perform research in seconds and, whether it is a law firm with 400 lawyers or a single lawyer, artificial intelligence can balance the investment needed to make the standard of research uniform in legal research. It can offer highly effective and specialized tools for lawyers to help lawyers become better at advising clients or litigating. A slew of legal tech startups in India, i.e. SpotDraft, CaseMine, NearLaw, Pensieve, Practice League etc are developing apps based on Natural Language Processing [NLP] and implementing legal research platforms of the next generation that help law firms move beyond basic, keyword-based research, making it less time-consuming. Many legal startups, some of which have their own AI research laboratories, are growing rapidly in Artificial Intelligence research capabilities.
Benefits of AI in Legal Industry
With 3.75 crore cases already pending, resolving cases in the Indian Legal System is becoming very difficult. It is a very long and draining process from the filing of a case to its verdict. With the aid of AI, challenging tasks have become simple, such as legal study, discovery, due diligence, contract drafting, and contract review. Discovery addresses the moment when the prosecutor needs to show all the facts and evidence they have about the case to the defense. This is a very daunting task to do since there is so much documentation and facts in some situations that it will be a waste of resources as well as a money-draining job as well as a time-consuming job to go over all the paperwork, but with the use of AI, this task can now be done by digitizing all the files to be handed over. Here, AI helps by just typing in a few keywords to go through gigabytes and gigabytes of data. Similarly, the method of due diligence in M&A used to be quite a long process, but it is quite simple to do due diligence with AI if you know what you are looking for by typing in a few keywords. The filing of cases is also made feasible through online portals. This makes it so much easier to go through e-filing and now you don’t have to do a lot of work manually, only a few keystrokes to file a lawsuit.
Not every legal issue needs deep study and problem solving, or even if it can be achieved better that way, it is economically unviable by the man hours and expense of such research demands. As long as AI can provide high-speed and low-cost accuracy with fair efficiency, it will already perform better in solving the typical low-stake legal problem than human lawyers of today. With their imagination, artfulness and empathy, missing in today’s AI, human lawyers will continue to add value. They would need to step up the value chain to deal with younger, more nuanced issues. We can also not imagine AI doing complicated drafting, even basic negotiation and formulation of strategy.
Can AI replace lawyers?
Nowadays there is a burning question among the lawyers that whether Introduction of Artificial Intelligence in legal sector would replace the lawyer and legal analyst or the AI-based solutions and platform would increase the efficiency and productivity of Firms and Lawyers. The answer to this question is absolutely “No”. AI programs are data driven, and their conclusions are only based upon the data provided in the form of input. It doesn’t and cannot have the ability to manipulate such data or information, it will only come up with straight forward solutions, which are already programmed in it in the form of programming code. In simple words, it needs data to learn and react upon it. It doesn’t has impact of certain factors like instinct, gut-feeling, and experience which a legal professional has gained within the course of his/her career. But, the most important of all is the ‘human touch’ which a lawyer possesses, because at the end of the day this professional is driven towards the concept of justice and humanity, which is no case neither today nor 100 years from now can be enunciated by a machine.
In recent scenarios, there has been surge in use of AI driven pre written contracts or other legal documents by users without any consultation from legal professionals, this in majority of cases has led people into jeopardizing situations as drafting requires pre requisite consultation and references from a legal professional, otherwise it can create unamendable problems for signatories which can drive to complex litigations. All AI can do, is help lawyers, judges or law students, is to achieve data driven results in a faster and cheaper manner. Also, it takes real humans to argue in the court and provide justice oriented judgment rendering, it is not a task that an automated machine with software can perform. So, it will conclusive to say that AI programs or soft wares can’t replace legal professionals in any case.
Conclusion
The incorporation of AI is specifically needed to smoothen the research and provide supporting lawyers in different aspects of the professions. It is needed to enhance the legal acumen of the lawyer with respect to changes in the contemporary world. AI without any doubt can and is making legal procedures much easier for the professionals in the field. With all the given capabilities of the AI programs, it can revolutionize the legal sector, but in no case it can replace legal professionals. Also, in order to provide such technological restructuring of the Legal industry, AI has to rely on the knowledge, decision-making and experience of the legal professionals.
“Article by Mr. Mohammad Sameen under internship of Adv Shankarlal Raheja
The Views herein are personal and while careful attention has been given to ensure that the information is accurate and assume no liability or responsibility for any reliance thereon. This article is merely information and knowledge sharing activity and is not a substitute to legal advice. We shall not be liable for any loss or damage caused due to any reliance thereof”.