The issue of trust in an AI is an interesting one. I think it is for a large part true that people don’t really trust robots/AI, but this could be a transitional issue because we have never had AI advisors before so we aren’t used to them.
As an experiment, I set up a lawyerbot called NDALynn.com which helps people evaluate NDA’s. In theory you would imagine that people go to lawyers before they sign an NDA; in practice this isn’t how it works. People don’t see an NDA as a document of value, something you pay a lawyer for. They just need a quick check if it’s ok or not.
Will Lynn eliminate even a single lawyer arguing in court? No. But she does provide a legal service, in a different way than before. That is what AI can bring.
This ties to a fundamental issue: law as a field is changing. It is no longer about lawyers drafting big contracts and pleading carefully constructed arguments in court. Contracts are standardizing, and fewer and fewer legal issues actually GO to court. An AI can draw up or review standard contracts, and settle cases with more accuracy and lower budget.
