Two major law firms have taken a significant step towards embracing AI-driven solutions in their legal operations. Dentons, the world's largest global law firm, and Gunderson Dettmer, a Silicon Valley-based international law firm, have announced their proprietary tools that will leverage generative artificial intelligence in active client matters.
Dentons is set to launch a proprietary version of ChatGPT called "fleetAI." This tool includes a chatbot based on OpenAI's GPT-4 Large Language Model that will enable the firm's lawyers to conduct legal research, generate legal content, and identify relevant legal arguments. Another bot in the fleetAI system allows multiple legal documents to be uploaded for analysis, including the extraction and querying of key data such as clauses and obligations.
A team at Dentons, led by UKIME Head of Innovation Joe Cohen, worked with Microsoft to ensure that all data uploaded into fleetAI is securely managed. The data will not be used to train the model and will be erased after 30 days. The firm's UK, Ireland, and Middle East CEO, Paul Jarvis, expressed confidence that this technology will transform the way they deliver services to clients. fleetAI is scheduled to launch in August 2023, with a 6-week beta testing period to follow.
On the other hand, Gunderson Dettmer has launched ChatGD, marking its debut as a proprietary internal tool using generative AI technology. This application allows the firm's attorneys to query and alter documents using OpenAI’s models via Microsoft Azure. What sets ChatGD apart is its model-agnostic framework, allowing it to engage with various language models from different vendors, including Anthropic, Google Palm, and Meta's Llama 2.
John Scrudato, the firm's legal engineering and data strategy manager, emphasized the importance of building a flexible, adaptable tool, given the continuous emergence of new models from companies like Google and Meta. ChatGD consists of two main components: a general chat mode and a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) method using salient external data to enrich queries. This allows lawyers to upload documents or groups of documents and pose queries based on the context provided by those documents, minimizing inaccuracies.
Both Dentons and Gunderson Dettmer have outlined plans for future versions of their AI tools, with integration and continuous development at the core of their strategies. While Dentons plans to integrate fleetAI with existing legal robots and trial third-party products, Gunderson Dettmer aims to connect ChatGD with the firm's internal knowledge repositories and complete document management system.
These developments demonstrate the legal industry's growing willingness to incorporate advanced technology into their workflows, reshaping the way lawyers conduct research, draft content, and interact with clients. By blending legal expertise with technological advancements, these firms are not only enhancing efficiency but also positioning themselves at the forefront of innovation in the legal field.
