Making law radically better; a deep dive into the power of Artificial Intelligence

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“This beautifully written book makes a compelling case that law as we know it will change dramatically, and that justice will be the biggest beneficiary of that change. The opportunity that singularity presents is the chance to deliver – finally – on law’s promise, a promise it has so far left unfulfilled.” Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School

As people of color, we know that the justice system is an uneven playing field. Calls to reform it routinely focuses on how the law is antiquated, cumbersome and places an undue burden on the accused, who often lack the resources required to adequately defend themselves. A path-breaking book probes the potential for AI to transform most aspects of law teaching, research, practice, judging, and the public’s access to justice.

Benjamin Alarie and Abdi Aidid contend in their book “In The Legal Singularity: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Law Radically Better,” that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies currently being used in the legal sector can be harnessed to not only streamline the judicial process, but make it more: equitable, efficient, and accessible.

Abdi Aidid is an expert in civil procedure, torts, and law and technology, and serves as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. Beginning his career as a litigator at Covington & Burling LLP in New York City, Professor Aidid later became the VP of Legal Research at Blue J, leading the advancement of machine learning powered legal research tools. As a Faculty Affiliate at Toronto’s Centre for Ethics and a member of the Ethics of AI Lab, he actively engages in examining the ethical considerations surrounding technology in the legal domain.

Benjamin Alarie is an esteemed expert in tax law, machine learning, and law and technology, and holds the Osler Chair in Business Law at the University of Toronto. As a scholar, Professor Alarie is affiliated with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Complementing his academic activities, Professor Alarie is co-founder and CEO of Blue J, a pioneering Toronto-based legal tech firm at the forefront of creating AI-driven software for interpreting and understanding law, revolutionizing global tax and legal research.

Before AI can be fully integrated into the legal system, Alarie and Aidid point out that we must rigorously consider the ramifications and regulations for doing so. Let’s take a look at the benefits; AI can drive reforms that redress key shortcomings of today’s legal system. AI-based legal representation, for instance, will almost certainly be more affordable than human lawyers. Also, AI-driven judicial decisions can reduce the number of defendants who receive an unfair trial, since verdicts will be based on facts with no contamination from personal biases.

These scenarios are clearly preferable to recent miscarriages of justice, but Alarie and Adid remind us that they are still figuring out all the potential challenges associated with giving AI a larger role in legal proceedings.

For example, regulations on search engines can protect the privacy and the safety of individuals involved in an AI-driven hearing. Moving forward, the legal sector needs to collaborate with the technology industry to make sure that emerging AI technologies are designed to be used effectively and ethically.

“AI will not replace lawyers,” says Alarie. “But lawyers who embrace AI will replace lawyers who don’t.”

“Critics have expressed delight in this powerful and important book. The deep learning, systematic breadth, and crisp clarity with which Aidid and Alarie prosecute their argument makes The Legal Singularity essential reading for legal theorists.” “In The Legal Singularity: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Law Radically Better,” releases in hardcover on July 18^th, 2023.

“This book will become a leading source of insights and measured judgments on profound issues imminently confronting all aspects of the legal profession as an information-intensive industry.” Michael J. Trebilcock, University Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto