Will AI Take Your Job?

So, Will AI Take Your Job?

If the Goldman Sachs research is correct, and 46 percent of legal work is vulnerable to being automated by AI, that could have profound implications for legal professionals, both in terms of the work they do but also in purely numerical terms. Would a 46 percent reduction in the tasks that people need to do result in a 46% reduction in the number of lawyers required?

Wade Younger, Armstrong Wolfe Advisory (USA), is a leadership coach and futurist who specializes in technology disruption and leadership. In his view, generative AI “will eliminate some jobs” in the same way that the invention of the personal computer eventually eliminated typewriter repair as a job. However, he said, it’s important to remember that GPT4 is “just a tool.”

In Mr. Younger’s opinion, generative AI doesn’t change the fundamentals of what organizations need in terms of values, leadership, and even people. “Don’t look for a hack,” he said, “because the human element will continue to be needed,” but conversely, make sure you “tool up,” since the threat to jobs comes not from the technology itself, but from people who use it well.

Catherine Mateu is a partner at Armengaud Guerlain (France) and Chair of the Emerging Issues committee. She highlighted that, even if AI is able to perform some of the tasks of a lawyer in the future, the important work of law is often first and foremost about personal relationships with clients. “A very big part of my practice is accompanying and reassuring clients and not only giving legal advice, but some tailored subjective advice and support on how to handle claims, how to negotiate contracts, what, for instance, to push on in terms of exclusivity or improvement and that is very much business-type and psychological advice,” she observed.

So, if lawyers with strong client relationships capable of giving bespoke, holistic advice are probably safe, what about those at more junior levels, who at the moment might be cutting their teeth on the tasks that in time may be done by AI?

Ms. Porcario admits the question is challenging but observed that senior lawyers need their juniors not just to complete drafting or research tasks, but for “big ideas and out of the box thinking.” Ms. Mateu further mentioned that the younger generation often has technology skills that the senior practitioners do not.

Where the changes may come, Mr. Van Wyck said, is that “commoditized work” may become less valuable, and the firms which succeed will be those that focus on offering “value added” work.

Maintaining your edge in such an environment requires, in Mr. Younger’s words, “thinking about what you think about.” AI will never “have an experience,” he observed. AI is “inhale information, exhale result.” In contrast, human beings will always be able to bring more to the table, including in how they interact with the AI tools available (so called prompt engineering). For Mr. Younger, the mantra should be: “Be a critical thinker, be a system thinker, be a creative thinker, be an innovative thinker, which all starts from introspection, thoughts, creating choices, which create behavior, which creates experience, which creates emotion, which creates new thoughts.”

The last word should perhaps go to GPT4 itself. When asked what elements of a trademark lawyer’s job it could help with, it highlighted a long list of tasks, including but not limited to search, application preparation, contract drafting, office action responses, monitoring and enforcement, maintenance, international registrations and the Madrid Protocol, litigation research, pleadings and motions, discovery, and more.

However, and perhaps happily for the readers of this article, even GPT4 itself doesn’t feel ready to take over just yet: “Please remember that my assistance should not replace the advice of a qualified attorney. Trademark law can be complex, and it is always best to consult with a professional for specific legal advice tailored to your situation.”