AI Summit_Sept. 13 2024

By Michael Murray, Veritext Legal Solutions January 12, 2024 The Rise of AI in Court Reporting Technology

I n legal proceedings, where confidentiality is king and precision is paramount, artificial intelligence is usher ing in a new era of transcription. AI is streamlining the time-consuming task of summarizing complex legal material. As it enhances transcription processes with increasing efficiency, AI is setting a new standard in the speedy curation of meticulously recorded legal records. The impact of AI extends beyond recording words alone. Some AI-powered transcription systems can inte grate with case management tools, resulting in an eco system (or database) of searchable transcripts that speed up and simplify the process of legal research and case preparation. This digital transformation promises not only to simplify administrative tasks but also to carve out more time for legal practitioners to engage in the substantive analysis of cases, thus enhancing the overall efficacy of the legal process. Welcome to our exploration of AI’s transformative role in legal transcription—a journey through the intersection of law, technology and confidentiality. Ethical Considerations and Confidentiality Entrusting AI with sensitive information requires tread ing cautiously. AI tools should never be used to ingest sensitive information like personal identifiable informa tion (PII) or personal health information (PHI). The ethical deployment of AI in court reporting, and the legal field at large, is not just about what AI can do; it’s also about what it should do. Concerns around the confidentiality of sensitive information are paramount, with the potential for inadvertent disclosures looming large. AI systems, by their nature, learn from vast amounts of data collected from many places. That data is used to train the model. While that data may not be referenced directly MR %- SYXTYX MX [MPP MRJPYIRGI MX 1SVISZIV ɸ bugs ɸ LEZI appeared in these systems that have enabled people to see parts of the training data that was used. Because of this, it is critical that confidential information, the lifeblood of legal proceedings, is not used for training.

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Ensuring that AI systems used for legal work adhere to strict data protection regulations is not just a technical challenge, but a moral imperative. Legal professionals must, therefore, be vigilant and demand transparency and compliance from AI providers to ensure that the confiden tiality of information is not compromised. Human-AI Collaboration To envision the future of court reporting as a battle ground between human court reporters and AI is to misunderstand the landscape. AI is not the harbinger of obsolescence for court reporters; rather, it heralds a new chapter of partnership. From the very outset of the profession, technology has been embraced to streamline processes and deliver tran scripts faster. AI is just the latest tool in that evolution. The most critical factor in ensuring an accurate, admis sible transcript is still the reporting officer of the court in the room. Unlike a machine, the professional reporter is a true guardian of the record, with the ability to understand the subtleties of human interaction and the professional judgment that comes with years of experience in the legal trenches, and a moral responsibility to provide and certify the accuracy of the final transcript.

AI Roundtable Page 816