Implementing legal technology including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - Some Tips!

Establish the requirement – It is important to avoid creating solutions to problems that don’t exist! Be clear about how technology will assist the exercise, including how it can address key challenges and provide potential efficiency gains and / or quality enhancements.

Define the challenges – Identify the known challenges and any related issues (real or potential) in order to find the right solution. Is the work repetitive, voluminous or complex? What are the cost and time pressures? Are you looking to identify specific documents or categories? Is the work investigatory or is it a categorization exercise?

Evaluate the solution – Once the exact pain points are defined, it is essential to consider the options and identify the most appropriate solution for you in terms of time, cost and effectiveness. Whilst leveraging past experience, make sure to consider and explore fresh approaches.

Form a team - Forming the right team is just as important as selecting the right technology. While subject matter and technical expertise are a given, patience and curiosity are also necessary qualities to successfully implement the best solution and optimize outcomes.

Design your workflow – Before diving into the work itself, workflows need to be carefully considered and put in place. Even the best technology and most talented team require the support of good processes. So, take time and care here.

Train the technology – Technology is only going to be as smart as you train it to be. You need to provide examples which are multiple, varied and accurate. Training an AI enabled tool is similar to training a child the application of a formula in mathematics – the more diverse and the greater number of problems the child practices, the better his / her understanding of the concept will be. Rushing through this phase of the exercise will detract from the accuracy of the results. So, be prepared to invest time and focus when training the technology.

Train the people – Identify and address any training needs amongst the team. This includes any contextual consideration or risks as well as an appropriate level of technical understanding.  Clear instructions are imperative for all team members involved – legal and technical. The ability of the team to deliver high - quality work can further be supported by feedback and timely updates on instructions.

Monitor results – Once the process is underway, monitor the output regularly and systematically addressing any adjustments to instructions, process or application of technology that need to be made as soon as possible as delay can be costly.