Like it or not, we have all been thrust into the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Personally, I am optimistic that the benefits of AI will far outweigh the detriments, but there is no question that AI will cause disruptions for legal professionals as well as most other segments of society. There will be winners and losers, and one important strategy for getting into the winners’ circle will be developing some understanding of AI and how you can leverage it in your professional life. Beyond looking out for your future, there are other good reasons why legal professionals need to become familiar with at least the more basic AI concepts and terms.

Rule 1.1 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct requires that lawyers provide “competent representation” to their clients. Comment 8 to that Rule provides:

“To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology . . .”

In coming months, if not tomorrow, that duty of competence will require some working knowledge about AI. But how do we decode all of the cryptic AI terminology?

Fear not! The members of your E-Discovery App team have pressed into service leading AI professionals to help fill this need, most notably Reed Smith’s Director of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Richard Robbins. Together, we’ve developed a “Glossary of AI Terms” created especially for legal professionals. We have sought to identify the terms that attorneys and paraprofessionals are most likely to encounter in exploring and using new AI tools. Additionally, we’ve attempted to make the definitions short, high-level, and comprehensible enough for even the most technophobic practitioners. 

You can find this new glossary at this link, or on the Reed Smith E-Discovery App, downloadable from the App Store or Google Play. Once you are on the App home page, simply click on Glossaries, Guides & Forms > Glossaries > Downloadable Glossary of AI Terms.

Level up your AI knowledge and technological competence by taking a quick spin through this new AI glossary – or simply be ready to access it as a handy reference for your next conversation about AI!