Right here’s to the loopy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The spherical pegs within the sq. holes. Those who see issues in another way. – Steve Jobs, Apple’s “Suppose Completely different” 1997 Advert
This previous weekend, the ninth annual neighborhood sponsored MacStock Convention was held in a Chicago suburb. MacStock is a grassroots gathering for Apple lovers. Whereas it’s not a authorized convention per se, it does have a lot of content material related to legal professionals and authorized professionals.
Considering Otherwise About AI
Whereas most legal professionals consider AI as a glorified analysis assistant, a presentation at this 12 months’s convention proved that we could also be lacking the true alternative: utilizing AI as a artistic associate.
This level was introduced dwelling in a Friday presentation by Mike Schmitz. Schmitz is a younger, bespectacled, and well-known content material creator and productiveness professional. His discuss was entitled Suppose Completely different: Utilizing AI as Your Artistic Copilot.
I’ve to confess. After I noticed the title, I believed nice, one other productiveness guru goes to inform us the identical outdated shit about AI, effectivity, automation, and price financial savings.
Certainly, significantly in authorized circles, AI is often known as a “co-pilot,” a type of digital assistant whose foremost use is to automate sure duties like retrieving info and summarizing info. It might’t be used for extra refined stuff as a result of it hallucinates and will get stuff mistaken. As well as, with out applicable steerage, AI can create AI slop, materials that anybody with half a mind can see got here not from a human however from a bot. The general result’s a perception that AI can’t be used to reinforce and improve creativity.
However when Schmitz took the stage carrying a easy black T-shirt that stated “Create Each Day” on the entrance and began his discuss by exhibiting the well-known Apple “Suppose Completely different” business from 1997, I suspected this was certainly going to be completely different.
Schmitz’s view is that the idea that AI can solely do mundane duties as a result of it’s not completely dependable is myopic and limiting. His thesis is that the true worth of AI is in reality its artistic energy. And the truth that it will get stuff often mistaken ignores that producing incorrect choices is de facto a part of the artistic course of. Schmitz believes we want to consider AI use extra broadly. Otherwise: simply as Jobs challenged standard desirous about expertise, legal professionals have to basically rethink their relationship with AI.
Schmitz informed us we ought to be desirous about AI not simply as a technique to get work executed extra effectively or to automate an finish product however as a software to supply greater high quality work. AI can, in reality, give us superpowers that make it simpler to crank out content material and increase our artistic processes.
Utilizing AI to Improve Creativity
Schmitz gave a number of methods he makes use of AI to boost his artistic course of, a few of that are well-known however some had been new, at the least to me. Right here’s an inventory of his options which have relevance to authorized.
1. Utilizing AI to generate subject concepts and content material. For legal professionals, it could possibly be concepts for a advertising pitch, a weblog submit, a movement, or a technique. Schmitz prompt function enjoying with an AI software. For instance, making it play the function of a possible shopper with a difficulty after which asking the software what questions it might have for you as a lawyer.
2. Getting options for social posts. For instance, if you wish to get your title out as having a sure space of authorized experience, you could possibly ask for assist with social posts demonstrating that experience. Or to submit one thing you had written. After all, it’s essential to inform the software who your viewers is and what you need from it. After I considered this afterwards, it dawned on me that the mere pondering by way of who my viewers is and what I would like them to do was revealing.
3. Arguing with AI. One intriguing suggestion is to truly argue with AI. Take a place on some problem and ask it to argue with the validity of that place. You could possibly then debate it backwards and forwards to flush out good and dangerous arguments. Nice concept for legal professionals and authorized professionals. The truth is, I attempted it out after the discuss and used it to draft a forthcoming submit. (Keep tuned.)
4. Utilizing it as a conversational associate. I had a shopper who was fond of claiming let’s watch out that we don’t find yourself within the closet speaking to ourselves an excessive amount of. Concepts in our heads typically must be stated out loud to somebody who can kick the tires and make us assume. AI can play that function when the senior associate isn’t round. ChatGPT has this conversational characteristic; Schmitz prompt an app referred to as VoicePal. I attempted it and it seems way more strong and geared towards serving to create content material.
5. Use it to repurpose materials. Usually, we wish to take one thing we’ve got executed prior to now after which use it for one more objective. I do that pretty typically and dread it. AI takes away a ache level.
6. Utilizing it to arrange for something. You’ll be able to immediate the software by telling it one thing like: you’re my shopper who has a sure sort of drawback. I’m assembly with my precise shopper for the primary time. What questions will they ask me? Or how about this: I’m assembly a possible shopper for the primary time, or my shopper is being deposed. What questions will they ask me or will the shopper be requested? How about this for a immediate: I’m going to MacStock for the primary time in years. I’m a lawyer and a authorized tech author. What questions will lots of the attendees ask me about at networking occasions as soon as I inform them my background?
Schmitz additionally prompt utilizing AI to assist create your model (and sure, legal professionals have to model themselves) and considerably surprisingly to create video content material.
The Actual Level
After all, all of those concepts are simply beginning factors. A lot of what’s produced in using the instruments will be apparent, off course, or simply plain mistaken. However AI is a technique to leap begin your artistic course of. (After I requested concerning the questions I is likely to be requested by MacStock attendees, it gave me most of what I might anticipate. It did give me one I didn’t anticipate and was really requested in a podcast interview on the convention.)
And that’s the purpose. As people, we don’t simply create a masterpiece off the highest of our heads. We work by way of issues. We strive stuff out. We reject elements and settle for elements. AI can assist.
Even the concept that AI can be utilized to reinforce and improve the artistic course of in and of itself can power us to be extra artistic in how and for what we use the software.
And These Hallucinations?
And oh yeah, these hallucinations that everybody fears and thinks of as a barrier? To Schmitz, they’re a part of the artistic course of. You provide you with issues and then you definitely throw out those which are mistaken or don’t make sense. So, let’s begin pondering of AI as the important thing to artistic content material, not the barrier.
Suppose in another way.
Here’s a hyperlink to the supplies and apps Schmitz referenced.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger and author. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a weblog dedicated to the examination of the stress between expertise, the legislation, and the observe of legislation.
