By Ana Rosa Ramírez Toft-Nielsen (Follow us on LinkedIn)
ChatGPT is all anyone can talk about, so why not write about it some more. The legal profession has seen significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) over the years, including the use of ChatGPT. While ChatGPT could change legal writing methods, it is not a substitute for librarians or attorneys, but an enhancement to our work. AI has been here, and this is one added tool in our toolbox. As with the other tools, we need to learn how to maximize the possibilities of this tool.
ChatGPT is a powerful tool that could streamline legal research by saving time and improving efficiency. ChatGPT can also help draft legal documents by generating drafts based on input from attorneys, providing suggestions for sentence structure, terminology, and appropriate legal language.
ChatGPT does not replace librarians or attorneys. Legal librarians are vital to curating and organizing legal resources, providing expertise in legal research methods, and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of legal information. Librarians possess skills in navigating legal databases, understanding complex search queries, and validating sources, which are essential for thorough and reliable legal research.
Legal research and writing require critical thinking, judgment, and interpretation of legal principles, which are skills that librarians and attorneys possess through their education and experience. Legal professionals bring their legal expertise, contextual knowledge, and professional judgment to the table, which AI tools like ChatGPT do not possess. The ethical and moral implications of legal decisions, the nuances of legal language, and the strategic considerations in legal writing are elements that require human judgment and cannot be replicated by AI alone.
It is also important to consider the limitations of AI in legal writing. ChatGPT, like any other AI tool, has its weaknesses. It may not always understand the nuances of complex legal issues and may generate biased or contextually inaccurate text – hallucinations. Therefore, human oversight and review help ensure the accuracy and reliability of legal documents generated with help from ChatGPT.
ChatGPT and other AI tools can enhance the legal writing process by improving efficiency and accuracy. It can cut down on administrative tasks saving all of us time. They can provide valuable insights, suggestions, and drafts of legal documents. That said, ChatGPT does not replace librarians or attorneys. Legal professionals bring unique skills and expertise that AI tools do not possess, and human judgment is crucial in legal writing and generally to the profession. The use of ChatGPT should accompany human oversight to ensure the accuracy and reliability of legal documents. AI is a powerful tool that can enhance the work of legal professionals, but it cannot replace the human touch and expertise that librarians and attorneys bring to the legal profession.
P.S. ChatGPT assisted me with writing this article. 😊
——————————————————————–————
Notes Between Us (NBU) is a blog about conversations and topics of interest to the writers. The writers are expressing their personal opinions solely. The essays represent their personal beliefs and not that of their workplaces or any organization they are associated with.