The American Bar Association (ABA) is delving into one of the critical issues that currently preoccupy law firm leaders – the rise of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, and the anticipated adjustments within Big Law firms to accommodate this rise. The ABA has convened a new panel, titled the
ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence, comprised of multiple legal and government dignitaries.
Notable among these are Seth Waxman, Former U.S. Solicitor General and present co-chair of WilmerHale’s appellate and Supreme Court litigation practice, Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary of Homeland Security, and Michelle Lee, Former Undersecretary of Commerce for IP and ex-director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. All three will also serve as advisors to the task force.
This task force will be focusing on six key issues, as mentioned by the ABA, including AI and the legal profession, the challenges posed by generative AI programs like ChatGPT, and the role of AI in legal education. The task force and the related advisory council will comprise a total of 30 members, supplemented by seven special advisors, including the aforementioned Chertoff, Waxman, and Lee.
The helm of the task force will be taken by Lucy Thomson, an attorney and cybersecurity engineer. In a recent
statement released by the ABA, Thomson mentioned that the task force would “provide insights for developing and using AI in a trustworthy and responsible manner”.
In coming years, AI is primed to reshape every sector of the legal industry, opined Mary Smith, the new ABA President, in a recent interview. She further emphasized that the ABA’s Center for Innovation would play an active role in the work of the task force.
The original article can be accessed here.