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Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:38 pm
by javancho
This has nothing to do with "admissions," but I believe it is important for us to consider how technology like this will impact our future legal careers.

Watson is a computer that will challenge the greatest Jeopardy players Feb 14-16. I wonder if an LSAT fine-tuned Watson could score 180 in less than 15 minutes?

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/ ... n-jeopardy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otBeCmpEKTs

I guess that in the recent past, computers (and robots) have displaced the blue-collar workforce, but white-collar jobs were immune because these computers were "too dumb" to handle intellectually challenging data. Well, not anymore, and it now it looks like the white-collar jobs could also be in the line of fire in the near future. Imagine how technology like Watson could alter the jobs of doctors, pharmacists, accountants, lawyers, etc. And yes, I do realize that Watson 1.0 is gigantic, extremely expensive, and perhaps a bit clumsy, but what about Watson 10.0?

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:42 pm
by Bildungsroman
Yeah, Watson is going to mechanize the LSAT-taking industry and displace those of us who are professional LSAT-takers.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:43 pm
by vanwinkle
It doesn't matter. The market will soon be flooded with Watsons while the real legal work is being outsourced to AI running on cheaper servers in India.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:45 pm
by 2011Law
By the time that robots can do the work of lawyers and doctors, you will be either:

A) Dead (presumably by robots)
B) A Robot

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:51 pm
by 2011Law
I'd say you might like to read Kurzweil's stuff, but you might let that stuff get to your head (like he did). Basically, he argues that by 2030 or so we will have created a truly intelligent robot, which will then create and even smarter robot, and so on and so forth until something like God is created. He also thinks that if you can live to that point you can become one of the robots that will live forever, or some crap like that. His stuff is cool to read and think about when you're high, but don't fool yourself into believing its science.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:04 pm
by robotclubmember
2011Law wrote:I'd say you might like to read Kurzweil's stuff, but you might let that stuff get to your head (like he did). Basically, he argues that by 2030 or so we will have created a truly intelligent robot, which will then create and even smarter robot, and so on and so forth until something like God is created. He also thinks that if you can live to that point you can become one of the robots that will live forever, or some crap like that. His stuff is cool to read and think about when you're high, but don't fool yourself into believing its science.
Why not? As a member of the Robot Club, I think I speak for all of us when I say that your primitive and outdated mode of thinking is offensively foolish. I could send an army of Roombas after you and have you dead by dawn... If I wanted. Remember that.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:06 pm
by mpj_3050
vanwinkle wrote:It doesn't matter. The market will soon be flooded with Watsons while the real legal work is being outsourced to AI running on cheaper servers in India.
Nice

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:14 pm
by 09042014
As a BSEE + JD I say construct and program these computer associates.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:35 pm
by fatduck
Desert Fox wrote:As a BSEE + JD I say construct and program these computer associates.
the hard part will be getting them to lie about their hours

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:38 pm
by 09042014
fatduck wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:As a BSEE + JD I say construct and program these computer associates.
the hard part will be getting them to lie about their hours
No way.

If time() == time.Lunch() then
bill(bigClient, 1 hour);

bill(timeTaken + 30 minutes);

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:39 pm
by fatduck
Desert Fox wrote:
fatduck wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:As a BSEE + JD I say construct and program these computer associates.
the hard part will be getting them to lie about their hours
No way.

If time() == time.Lunch() then
bill(bigClient, 1 hour);

bill(timeTaken + 30 minutes);
too transparent. you need deniability.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:40 pm
by AreJay711
2011Law wrote:I'd say you might like to read Kurzweil's stuff, but you might let that stuff get to your head (like he did). Basically, he argues that by 2030 or so we will have created a truly intelligent robot, which will then create and even smarter robot, and so on and so forth until something like God is created. He also thinks that if you can live to that point you can become one of the robots that will live forever, or some crap like that. His stuff is cool to read and think about when you're high, but don't fool yourself into believing its science.
:shock: Actually, no! He is just a copy cat.

http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:44 pm
by 09042014
fatduck wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:
fatduck wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:As a BSEE + JD I say construct and program these computer associates.
the hard part will be getting them to lie about their hours
No way.

If time() == time.Lunch() then
bill(bigClient, 1 hour);

bill(timeTaken + 30 minutes);
too transparent. you need deniability.
True. But if they are billing 24 hours a day they might not have to over bill.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:47 pm
by Fark-o-vision
Yeah, I actually think it's somewhat doable, as we've seen in medicine. The problem is people are always (rightly or wrongly) going to want a person in charge somewhere.

It's ironic that capitalisms (supposed) ultimate stimulant (innovation) is slowly leading us to a place that ultimately cannot be supported by capitalism (an increasing number of useless people who are increasingly useless).

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:50 pm
by AreJay711
Fark-o-vision wrote:Yeah, I actually think it's somewhat doable, as we've seen in medicine. The problem is people are always (rightly or wrongly) going to want a person in charge somewhere.

It's ironic that capitalisms (supposed) ultimate stimulant (innovation) is slowly leading us to a place that ultimately cannot be supported by capitalism (an increasing number of useless people who are increasingly useless).
A lot of parentheses there :?

But yeah I agree with what you say actually. It COULD work with super high unemployment or with less people but not really. On the bright side, people with jobs and the owners of capital are setting themselves up more massive win so INVEST.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:31 am
by yale2011
.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:13 am
by Fred_McGriff
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:28 pm
by 8ballistic
As long as I make partner before these guys are out on the market, I'm set.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:49 pm
by gens1tb
Time to change my concentration to "AI advocacy"

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:53 pm
by fatduck
8ballistic wrote:As long as I make partner submit completely to robot rule before these guys are out on the market now, I'm set.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:45 pm
by 174
AreJay711 wrote:
2011Law wrote:I'd say you might like to read Kurzweil's stuff, but you might let that stuff get to your head (like he did). Basically, he argues that by 2030 or so we will have created a truly intelligent robot, which will then create and even smarter robot, and so on and so forth until something like God is created. He also thinks that if you can live to that point you can become one of the robots that will live forever, or some crap like that. His stuff is cool to read and think about when you're high, but don't fool yourself into believing its science.
:shock: Actually, no! He is just a copy cat.

http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html
That was a good read. Thanks for posting that.

Re: Meet Watson, the future legal counselor

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:45 pm
by androstan
I don't think a true AI can actually be built, i.e. I don't think intelligence can be "designed" or "built" via intelligence. Rather, I think it has to be a product of time and selection pressure.

Of course automation takes over grunt work, and it can do so to the extent of rampant unemployment, but I don't think there will ever be a "robot uprising" or a robot building a better robot.

This guy seems to think machines will replace all of us except for the most high-level executives/thinkers/etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlQrYCacrKo