Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) often fall into simple, polarized stories. AI will bring great prosperity or bring the end of civilization. It enhances human capabilities or destroys them. People who use it are innovative – or lazy, dishonest, or intellectually deficient. People in the dispute resolution field should recognize this pattern. We have a … Continue reading Getting Beyond Simple Stories About AI
This weekend, I returned home from the fabulous AALS ADR Section Works in Progress conference at the University of Missouri. (Not a long trip for me.) As always, I really enjoyed the presentations and conversations with friends and colleagues. By all accounts, Carli Conklin and Rachel Wechsler did an outstanding job planning and hosting the … Continue reading Does Your Law School Have an AI Strategy?
AI slop is coming to a legal system near you. Actually, it probably already has. Lawyers increasingly encounter AI-generated material from clients, counterpart attorneys, self-represented parties, experts, and others. Some of it is excellent. Some is slop. Here’s a technical illustration. Like it or not, your graduates are likely to deal with AI – including … Continue reading Beyond AI Slop: Preparing Law Students for Responsible Practice in the AI Era
Remember when parties developed unrealistic expectations all by themselves? Now they have AI to help. These days, mediators may have to work through expectations that have hardened around an AI-generated assessment. Lawyers may have to explain why the AI analysis is wrong, incomplete, or wildly overconfident. And imagine the client’s surprise when the other side … Continue reading What Are We Going to Do About AI Slop?
I have known Colin Rule for more than twenty years. During that time, I knew that he had done a lot of impressive things in ODR and that he’s a real mensch. What I didn’t appreciate until recently was the extraordinary breadth of his work, the depth of his thinking, and how much he has … Continue reading I Knew Colin Rule Was Impressive. But I Didn’t Know the Half of It.
A lot of people are bummed about AI. Are you? Me too. That may not be what you expected me to say. I have been writing quite a bit about how to use AI effectively and responsibly. I use it regularly. I encourage others to learn how to use it. And still, there are plenty … Continue reading Bummed About AI? So Am I. Now What?
Here’s a debate about whether generative AI threatens the survival of key civic institutions – followed by a conversation with RPS Coach about these issues that may surprise you. Woodrow Hartzog and Jessica M. Silbey wrote How AI Destroys Institutions. Here’s the abstract. Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone … Continue reading Will AI Destroy Institutions?
Imagine you’re a mediator and someone tells you what’s troubling them. They’re deeply upset about a product they believe poses serious risks. They cite past harms, question whether it should ever have been introduced, and urge that it be removed from the market or tightly restricted. The product is already in widespread use, integrated into … Continue reading Thinking Like Mediators About the Future of AI
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, released a new report, Regulating AI in the Delivery of Consumer-Facing Legal Services: Unlocking Legal Regulation. The report outlines a framework for how the legal profession can respond to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools already being used … Continue reading IAALS Publishes Report on AI for Consumer-Facing Legal Services
Artificial intelligence is already transforming the ways lawyers, educators, students, scholars, and dispute resolution professionals work. The pace of change is accelerating. How should we respond collectively? How will you respond to help your students and/or clients deal with this new world? To help figure this out, you can read a concise new article, Responsible … Continue reading Responsible Realism About AI in Law and Dispute Resolution
