How artificial intelligence can change the future of the Indian legal industry ?
For the last few years there has been a lot of talk around artificial intelligence and how it would impact the future. There have been two very diverse views with regards to artificial intelligence. On one hand, people believe artificial intelligence would improve lives and improve the standard of living while the other view is of caution, where people believe artificial intelligence could perhaps be the start of extinction of the human race, the start of skynet.
However in recent times we have seen artificial intelligence being implemented at small but highly effective scale in various industries. From robotic concierges in hotels to artificial intelligence based financial advisors (https://www.americanbanker.com/news/beyond-robo-advisers-how-ai-could-rewire-wealth-management), artificial intelligence has revolutionized multiple industries.
The Indian legal industry has seen minuscule innovation in terms of technology and lawyers today still rely on methods and solutions that were built years ago. Artificial intelligence can play a big part in changing the way lawyers and the legal sector operate in India.
Much has been discussed about the impact of artificial intelligence in the legal sector. For me, one of the biggest disruptions that can be caused by artificial intelligence in law is in the field of legal research. The legal system is vast and constantly changing and with the use of artificial intelligence, lawyers can get an unparalleled insight into the legal domain within seconds. Currently to get legal research done, a significant number of man hours are required which significantly reduces the profit making ability of a lawyer, however, with artificial intelligence, the entire legal fraternity can be balanced. An artificially intelligent legal research platform can get research done in seconds while balancing the expenditure required for legal research and making the quality of research uniform and independent to the size of organization. Artificially Intelligent legal research software can analyze millions of legal documents within seconds and provides lawyers with highly efficient and advanced tools helping them to advise clients or litigate in a better manner. If we look at the western market a legal chatbot called Do Not Pay,(https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/06/chatbot-donotpay-refugees-claim-asylum-legal-aid) which allowed people in the United Kingdom to save millions by helping them with their parking violations and this is just the start.
Lawyers should not look artificially intelligent software as those that would make them go obsolete but as tools that would help them do their job better, faster and more efficiently.
It is still early to see how artificial intelligence and law come together in India, however, one can definitely be excited and confident that the use of artificial intelligence will definitely transform the way lawyers are operating now and will change the face of law.
WRITTEN BY
Anshul Gupta
