WHEN AI MEETS "THE LAW" : ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF LEGAL PROFESSION IN NIGERIA
INTRODUCTION
This article therefore, is an analysis of artificial intelligence as a concept, how it has been applied in the legal profession in Nigeria, how it has affected the legal profession in Nigeria so far, and the hope of the legal practice in Artificial Intelligence in times to come.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
The word “artificial” is defined as a thing made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, especially as a copy of something natural. [1]
“Intelligence” on the other hand, is the ability to acquire and the apply knowledge and skill.
Hence, artificial intelligence, is the ability of a computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.
Artificial intelligence can also be defined as an intelligence demonstrated by machine displayed by humans and animals. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of human, such as ability to reason, discover meaning, generalized or learn from past experience.[2]
According to JOHN McCarthy, who is regarded as the first person to use the term, artificial intelligence is defined as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines” or an act of allowing computer to do what human beings are supposed to do with the involvement of the term “intelligence”.
Thus, in a nutshell, Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or learn from past experience.
The introduction of artificial intelligence came as a revolution in the world of technology. It currently influences the modus operandi of certain sectors in different walks of life around the world, including the legal profession.
HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS USED IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
Artificial intelligence has been around for many years, but it only became significant in the legal profession few years ago. Legal practitioners used to rely on manual processes to search for and analyze case law, but with the advent of artificial intelligence, this process has been greatly sped up.
Artificial intelligence is now being used to predict the outcome of court cases which is done by using data collected from past cases and using this information to make predictions about future cases.
Applying Artificial intelligence in the legal practice includes the use of computers, algorithms, and big data to assist, support, collaborate, or even duplicate lawyers’ behaviors and decisions so that law firms can function competently, successfully, and with foresight in their business.[3]
Also, another common way of using AI in legal practice is to delegate certain tasks, especially where decisions need to be reached on the basis of a large quantity of data and legal practitioners are not capable of providing a swift response.
The use of artificial intelligence in the legal profession is growing by the day which brings the throbbing question of what benefits or disadvantages it has on the legal profession in recent times and whether the introduction of Artificial intelligence in the legal profession is a delight to a lawyer or a cause of pain.
HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HAS AFFECTED THE FUNCTIONS OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION IN NIGERIA
Artificial intelligence is gradually becoming a major player in the legal profession. As the technology develops, so does the potential for AI to improve the efficiency and accuracy of legal processes.[4]
Thee introduction of Artificial Intelligence, in developed countries, has affected the legal system of these countries.
For instance, in civil and criminal procedures of certain jurisdictions, electronic evidence is admissible in court as a result of the influence of Artificial Intelligence.
In this section therefore, the advantages and disadvantages of Artificial intelligence to the legal profession in Nigeria will be analyzed.
While many legal practitioners are diverting from the traditional means of advocacy including the court itself, many other lawyers are afraid that this new idea might take up their role in the legal profession. Yet, it is undeniably true that artificial intelligence will boost and increase the skills of lawyers and their sense of judgement.
The benefits of Artificial intelligence to the legal profession includes the following:
a. Speeds up the performance of tasks: Artificial intelligence speeds up the legal process by automating some of the tasks that currently need to be carried out by human lawyers.
Thus, a work that will take much time of a lawyer can now be done by the artificial intelligence within a specific time and even be more accurate than a human being would, thereby saving the time of lawyers and also making legal service easier and faster in all senses.[5]
Artificial intelligence therefore, helps to reduce the amount of time lawyers need to spend on research, by providing access to a vast array of legal information.
b. Improves the accuracy of legal judgement: Artificial intelligence helps to improve the accuracy of legal judgments, by ensuring that all relevant information is taken into account. This reduces the number of errors that are made in the legal system, by automating some of the more tedious tasks to allow judges to better manage the workload of each case.
When we look at the Nigerian court system, we see delays in judicial proceedings, sometimes caused by the court system or the lawyers.
An example is the Trial Denovo on Interlocutory matters. The judiciary is overwhelmed by thousands of cases to decide on. A pending case causes an undesirable delay in the administration of justice to the people, and, as the saying goes, a delay in justice is a denial of justice. As a result of artificial intelligence, these issues have been solved to a considerable degree.
c. Improvement in the Evidence stage: Study has also shown that Artificial intelligence proves very helpful in the Evidence phase, which is a very important stage, that tends to take up a lot of court time. With the help of AI-powered analytics, judges make faster decisions.
Multiple delays are a common feature of the evidence phase for a variety of reasons; delays due to investigations, absence of witnesses, etc. Thus, the function of AI technology in such situations is to anticipate potential delays.
While the potential benefits of AI in the legal profession are vast, there are also potential risks.
Thus, the disadvantages of artificial intelligence that has been pinpointed so far in the legal profession since it's inception, include:
a. Bias and discrimination: Artificial Intelligence could be used to discriminate against certain groups of people, potentially exacerbating social and economic inequalities. AI systems making discriminatory or unfair decisions in legal cases, which could have serious consequences for individuals and communities in Nigeria.
b. Privacy concerns: AI systems often rely on large amounts of data to function effectively, including personal data about individuals. This could raise privacy concerns if the data used by AI systems is not properly protected or if the systems are used to make decisions that impact individuals’ privacy rights. This is definitely against the purpose of the legal profession.
c. Job displacement: One of the most notable potential disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence to legal practice in Nigeria is the risk of job displacement. As AI systems become more advanced, they may be able to perform certain legal tasks, such as contract review and legal research, more quickly and accurately than human lawyers.
This could lead to a decrease in demand for human lawyers, which could have negative consequences for the legal profession.[6]
d. Lack of transparency: Artificial Intelligence systems can be opaque and difficult to understand, especially when they rely on complex algorithms and machine learning models. This lack of transparency could make it difficult for lawyers and their clients to understand how AI systems arrived at certain decisions, which could be problematic in legal cases where transparency and accountability are important.
THE FUTURE OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION IN NIGERIA IN RELATION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
From the previous sub-headings, the benefits as well as the disadvantages of artificial intelligence in the legal profession has been elaborated and it is clear that the application of Artificial Intelligence in legal practice will no doubt revolutionize and develop the legal industry.
However, with the glaring disadvantages that have been noted thus far, it is however pertinent that the ethical concerns be taken seriously by Lawyers and other stakeholders in the sector.
Regulatory mechanisms should also be put in place with regards to actions that will be undertaken by AI-powered systems, to ensure that legal practitioners supervise the output given by these systems so as to avoid liability.
There should also be different metrics and regulations laid down by the regulatory agencies to ensure that no form of prejudice or bias is fed into the AI-powered systems, so as to prevent any form of distortion of the output given by the AI-powered system, which may lead to bias or discrimination.
CONCLUSION
This article is an analysis of artificial intelligence, how it has been applied in the legal profession, how it has affected the legal profession in Nigeria and the hope of the legal practice in artificial intelligence in the nearest future.
From the article above, it is nearly impossible for a legal practitioner to do well without technology because of its efficacy.
In many ways, Artificial Intelligence “represents both the biggest opportunity and potentially the greatest threat to the legal profession since its formation.”[7] As such, it is important to ensure that the benefits of Artificial Intelligence in the legal profession are balanced against its risks.
Businesses—including law firms and lawyers—must develop clear long-term strategy that envision new ways to use the new trend of Artificial Intelligence. They must find ways to deal with changing client demands or they risk being left behind.
The future is uncertain and in many ways, unpredictable. Coming to terms with that and developing strategies to take advantage is key to success.[8]
REFERENCES
[1] Miriam dictionary, 5th edition.
[2]https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence
[3] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/role-artificial-intelligence-legal-profession-ugwumba-uzoma
[4] Ibid
[5] https://thenigerialawyer.com/artificial-intelligence-and-the-legal-practice-in-nigeria/
[7] Joanna Goodman, “Robots in Law: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Legal Services” 3 (2016
[8] Simon Harper “The Mindset of the Legal Profession” Top of the Bots: the LexisNexis perspective
AUTHOR:
OGO GLADYS AMARACHI
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