Ongoing AI Education Strategies And Resources For Lawyers
It’s a great time to be a lawyer if you like learning new things and innovative ways for people to do their jobs better.
We hear a lot about what lawyers need to know about AI but not much about how and where to get the training and information we need.
“I know I must understand the capabilities, limitations, and biases of each AI tool my company uses and the ethical dilemmas surrounding each use case,” my lawyer friend recently said. “But how should I stay on top of technology that changes so quickly? New releases of AI language models can arrive mere months apart. Will one yearly CLE class be enough?”
Ongoing AI education is part of our new normal. It’s a great time to be a lawyer if you like learning new things and innovative ways for people to do their jobs better. Continuous AI learning will expand your skill set and boost your knowledge of technology that’s become vital to doing business everywhere.
Below are several ways to inform your AI learning strategy and address the most pressing issues of the many vying for your attention.
Focus On Specific-Use Cases First
One of your first goals will likely be to develop company policies and guidelines for the responsible use of AI. This involves:
- Defining responsible AI principles and related expectations.
- Adhering to a specific and efficient measuring system for AI use.
- Developing performance standards that result in the uniform evaluation of AI systems and outcomes.
The first step in achieving these aims is determining how and where the company uses AI. Focus on current-use cases to advance beyond the theoretical space and target the specific benefits, risks, and ethical considerations that may arise.
Detail every instance where AI is integrated into company operations. Collaborate with organizational leaders to learn about their use cases and their goals. How do they measure progress and prevent bias? What protections are still needed?
Collaborate Across The Company And With AI Experts
Cross-departmental collaboration is essential to fully understand all the ways a company uses AI. Prepare to work with:
- IT and compliance team members who ensure AI tools comply with data privacy and security regulations and ethical and legal standards.
- HR teams on potential issues related to AI tools used in hiring and performance evaluations.
- Marketers to ensure companies don’t make false or exaggerated claims about AI capabilities or outcomes.
- AI vendors to clarify — in detail — how their solutions work and comply with regulatory requirements and ethical standards.
Many lawyers will need data scientists, software engineers, and AI specialists to explain how AI tools work and answer questions about potential risks. Speaking with regulators can also help you understand the risks and potential for misuse.
Invest In Ongoing AI Education And Training
Continually learning about AI and its applications requires conscious effort. You’ll find many interesting seminars, webinars, and conferences on the use of AI in law and business.
There’s been an explosion in books, guides, and articles on AI. Turn to trusted sources such as MIT Technology Review, Harvard Business Review, TechTarget, and other respected publications.
Join or follow groups such as the Center for AI and Digital Policy, The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics for Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, and the AI Standards Hub.
Consider adding ongoing AI technology training to your list.
- IBM and Google offer free online courses on artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Microsoft and LinkedIn offer free introductory courses on generative AI through the AI Skill Initiative.
- Platforms like Coursera and edX offer a wealth of courses on AI, as do many universities.
You may also be responsible for staying aware of all updates to AI and privacy regulations and ensuring compliance. A yearly CLE class may come in handy for this, though it’s essential to always keep your ear to the ground for any significant developments.
The bottom line is that AI presents an excellent opportunity to learn about new topics and gain skills to help your career flourish. It may feel daunting at first, but there are many resources to help you navigate the world of AI and stay up to date with new developments. Don’t be afraid to dive in, become a legal expert in AI, and take your law practice to new heights!
Where do you go to learn about AI?
How do you stay up to date with the latest regulatory developments?
What types of CLEs or other training do you find helpful?
Olga V. Mack is the VP at LexisNexis and CEO of Parley Pro, a next-generation contract management company that has pioneered online negotiation technology. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to participate on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat, Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security, and Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities. She is working on Visual IQ for Lawyers, her next book (ABA 2023). You can follow Olga on Twitter @olgavmack.
