Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston may not have been the anticipated keynote for ALM’s annual Legalweek conference, yet his insight into the art of performance resonated with the attendees of the 2024 event, where the ‘performance’ of many promising AI tools fell short.
The conference saw the largest attendance in years, a response, it seemed, to the draw of generative AI being showcased by vendors. What the attendees received, however, was somewhat underwhelming, a series of future product announcements, insubstantial demos, and cancelled meetings that had been originally positioned as product launches. Despite the disappointment, it must be noted that at its current stage, this technology is just over a year old and most of the offerings still hold potential, falling just short of full readiness for the market according to reports.
As legal tech continues to tackle misuse and misrepresentation of AI in the industry, conversations are increasingly focusing on producing workable, tangible products. Vendor meetings delved into the challenges of building AI tools that are capable of understanding and summarising complex legal documents, revealing the intricacy involved in developing such technology. While current tools aren’t performing optimally, many vendors appeared to be taking steps towards rectifying these issues.
Building robust, effectual AI is a central concern for the legal industry. Early offerings of ChatGPT wrappers failed to impress, essentially producing results on par with standard searches. Still, it would be premature to dismiss these offerings. If they are improved upon substantially in the near future, their current incompleteness will likely be overlooked.
In conclusion, Legalweek 2024 was not just a spectacle, but a frank reminder of the ongoing challenges in the AI-driven transformation of the legal industry. The sector eagerly looks forward to developments in the AI sphere, hoping that the current ‘performance’ evolves into a reality that meaningfully benefits the legal profession.