What RIGHT about Artificial Intelligence?

Every day we read bad news about some scam or crisis — whether romance scams, fears of job loss, or something far worse — that is caused by artificial intelligence (AI). And after reading this constant onslaught of headlines, it seems like AI is just a net-negative type of technology, but its impact seems to conjure a pretty grim view of our world.

Yet, there is an optimistic side to the current wave of AI technologies, because AI, like any technology, is neither inherently good nor bad. It’s up to us to use AI technologies to transform our lives positively and find ways to use their practical benefits. Sure, this technology can be used for bad things, but it can also benefit our lives and be used to protect us.

AI is neither inherently good nor bad.

For example, one of the most significant impacts of AI is in healthcare. AI algorithms can analyze medical data at an unprecedented speed and with stunning accuracy, leading to early disease detection and personalized treatment plans. For instance, IBM’s Watson AI is changing cancer treatment by analyzing vast amounts of medical literature and patient data to provide oncologists with evidence-based treatment options. This not only saves time but also increases the chances for successful outcomes.

And AI is helping individuals overcome health challenges in other ways. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019. Unfortunately, last year, Rep. Wexton was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, which impacted the congresswoman’s ability to speak. Now, however, she has her voice back because of AI’s ability to use audio from some of her speeches. With that audio data, a software company created an effective AI voice model of Rep. Wexton’s voice, which she now uses to communicate.

Rep. Wexton said that she feels using AI to restore her speech was an important way to show that just because her speech may not be what it used to be doesn’t mean her words are any less hers or less important for others to hear.

This has been part of the evolution of AI. Because at first, AI technologies could only imitate our writing style, then it was our voices, and now it is possible to easily create a video doppelganger of yourself.

So-called deepfake videos have a bad reputation as something unethical that spreads disinformation or propaganda. However, many of these early Ai-produced deepfakes were easily spotted as fakes because of how the person in the video moved, tending to be stiff or unnatural. However, today’s AI technology has advanced to the point in which these videos are much more realistic and natural. While maybe not ready for the entertainment industry, these videos could be used for training, corporate reports, presentations, or online videos (like YouTube or TikTok). And their widespread use will make the creation of online videos faster and easier to get done more quickly.

AI’s impact on industry

Not surprisingly, AI is changing how many industries approach their operations, especially law firms. Already, lawyers have begun working with business-friendly and legal-specific AI technologies. And by using these generative AI (GenAI) tools, law firms will be able to streamline administrative tasks, reducing the need for non-fee-earning staff and optimizing labor costs. And in its most advanced use, AI could provide predictive analytics for case outcomes based on historical data, helping law firms more quickly strategize with clients and advise them on making more informed decisions.

As AI technologies continue to tackle even more complex tasks, legal services will become even more strategic for a client. Enabling an outside law firm with AI could likely result in a complete overhaul of how services are performed and delivered. The future law firm will likely look a lot different in a few years than it does today.

Of course, as more industries find use for AI technologies, those same technologies are now being leveraged by scammers and illicit agents to break into networks and computers or, as in the above example, to create highly effective phishing scams using deep-fake conversations to steal money.

An AI-enabled cybersecurity attack is capable of being much faster and much more sophisticated than anything done in the past. For example, if your network is breached, the AI attacker could observe and then be able to mimic network traffic, allowing it to so effectively hide that you would never know your system had even been breached in the first place. The good news, however, is that AI-enabled technologies are not just in the hands of those who wish to attack us. AI-enabled technologies are now also being leveraged to better defend business and personal data and systems. Fortunately, AI also is able to deal with these problems faster and more efficiently.

AI can help manage business

The adoption of AI tools in project management can help move the focus from mere task execution to strategic planning and innovation, thereby transforming project management. Such tools can automate routine content tasks — such as creating meeting notes, project progress reports, metrics reporting, or budget analysis — which in turn can allow project managers to concentrate more on the core task of executing the project on time and on budget. Further, AI can prioritize key metrics and process improvements, allowing project managers to focus on what truly matters.

Looking ahead, the future of AI is incredibly promising. As AI continues to evolve, it will not replace human workers but rather augment their capabilities, changing the way that many professionals (including lawyers) work. Collaborative AI, in which humans and AI work together, will become the norm, and this partnership will lead to unprecedented levels of innovation and efficiency across all sectors.

Moreover, AI will lower the bar for access to information and services. With AI-driven tools, small businesses will have access to advanced analytics and automation previously available only to large corporations, further leveling the playing field and fostering innovation.

Conclusion

Even if today’s AI-enabled technologies aren’t perfect, they are getting better quickly as many industries get more experience in what works and what doesn’t. From almost any perspective, AI development appears to be moving at breakneck speed.

Yet, we are at the beginning of this new age of artificial intelligence. While there are many real benefits to using AI, we should not be naïve enough to believe there aren’t some very real potential dangers, too. We need to be educated about these technologies because they are coming fast, and we cannot ignore them. It is not a question of whether the technology we use will be more intelligent, but rather a question of how fast we can adapt to it.

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Originally published in the online Thomson Reuters publication Practice Innovations on August 24, 2024.