AI Summit_Sept. 13 2024

January 12, 2024

Advanced AI systems, equipped with state-of-the-art encryption protocols and privacy guidelines, have a pivotal position in safeguarding data. However, it is the technically adept human professionals at reporting agencies who are key to ensuring these AI systems function optimally. Their expertise in overseeing AI processes is indispensable in preventing security breaches and guaranteeing that sen sitive information is handled with the highest degree of care and professionalism. Therefore, attorneys must seek partnerships with reporting agencies that demonstrate not only a commitment to confidentiality but also a profound understanding and capability in employing AI to its fullest potential for security and privacy. Flexibility and Adaptability Courtrooms and deposition venues are dynamic envi ronments where the unexpected can and often does occur. Reporters can adapt to these changes in real time, whether these involve managing unexpected noise, dealing with technical difficulties or accommodating impromptu changes in the proceedings. AI, while adaptable to a cer tain extent, requires human intervention to manage these unpredictable elements effectively. Integrating AI in court reporting, when thoughtfully combined with human oversight, creates a product that is superior in quality, reliability and integrity. The human role in this partnership is not diminished but rather elevated, as reporters are freed up to leverage their unique skills along side the efficiency of AI, ensuring that the final service delivered is of the highest standard. Addressing Misconceptions Fears of job displacement and biases in AI, along with the specter of deepfakes, have cast a long shadow over its potential benefits. AI in legal transcription is not a tool for edging out reporting officers of the court but one for empowering them, designed to enhance the capabilities of legal practitioners and not render them redundant. Concerns about AI biases and the potential for creating deepfakes must be met with rigorous standards of trans parency and accuracy. AI systems must be meticulously trained and regularly audited to ensure fairness and impar tiality. By fostering an informed understanding of what AI can and cannot do, the legal community can embrace technology with confidence and caution, ensuring that the march toward innovation does not outpace the commit ment to ethics and integrity. Michael T. Murray is the director of client solutions JSVɸ Veritext Legal Solutions. Murray stays on top of litigation technology trends and travels throughout the nation speaking and providing informative and entertaining CLEs, educational instruction and product demonstrations to legal professionals.

The Complementary Strengths of Deposition Officers and AI Deposition officers or reporters bring a level of under standing and context to legal proceedings that AI alone cannot replicate. They are trained not only to capture words verbatim but also to understand the context within which these words are spoken. This understanding is cru cial in legal settings, where a single misinterpreted phrase can alter the meaning of testimony. AI, on the other hand, offers efficiency in transcribing spoken words into text. Its algorithms can process speech at speeds far beyond the capability of humans. However, without the nuanced comprehension of humans, the out put can sometimes be literal to the point of error, particu larly with homophones, technical jargon or colloquialisms unique to a certain locale or community. With the combination of the speed of AI and the contex tual understanding, interpretive skills and supervision of a human officiant—the most efficient process in the cre ation of a certified transcript is achieved. The reporter can intervene to correct errors, clarify ambiguities and ensure the transcript reflects the true and accurate intent of the spoken words. Cultural and Idiomatic Understanding Legal terminology and proceedings can vary significantly from one jurisdiction to another. Moreover, courtrooms are melting pots of cultures and dialects. AI may struggle with idiomatic expressions, cultural references and dialectical variations. Human reporters bring an essential cultural literacy to the table, ensuring that the diversity of expres sion found in the courtroom is accurately and respectfully transcribed. Quality Control and Ethical Oversight An officer of the court is not just a passive recorder of speech but an active guardian of the record’s integrity. This officer can flag potential ethical issues or the need to clar ify testimony that might have been spoken over or spoken too quietly. AI lacks the capacity for such considerations and relies on human oversight to ensure the transcript adheres to the highest standards of accuracy and fairness. Enhanced Security and Confidentiality In today’s digital era, where security and confidentiality are crucial, it is essential for attorneys to collaborate with reporting agencies that are not only committed to these principles, but also possess the technical sophistication to effectively integrate and manage AI technologies. While reporters adhere to strict confidentiality codes and exer cise discretion over sensitive material, the role of AI in bolstering these protections cannot be overstated.

Reprinted with permission from the January 12, 2024 edition of the LEGALTECH NEWS © 2023 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com. # LTN-1162024-53667 AI Roundtable Page 817