Category «Legal Research»

The Truth About Hallucinations in Legal Research AI: How to Avoid Them and Trust Your Sources

Hallucinations in generative AI are not a new topic. If you watch the news at all (or read the front page of the New York Times), you’ve heard of the two New York attorneys who used ChatGPT to create fake cases entire cases and then submitted them to the court. After that case, which resulted in a media frenzy and (somewhat mild) court sanctions, many attorneys are wary of using generative AI for legal research. But vendors are working to limit hallucinations and increase trust. And some legal tasks are less affected by hallucinations. Law Librarian and attorney Rebecca Fordon guides us to an understanding of how and why hallucinations occur and how we can effectively evaluate new products and identify lower-risk uses.

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Subjects: AI, Education, KM, Legal Education, Legal Research, Legal Research Training, Search Engines, Technology Trends

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 23, 2023

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: New Privacy Badger Prevents Google From Mangling More of Your Links and Invading Your Privacy; Microsoft AI team accidentally leaks 38TB of private company data; California legislature passes ‘Delete Act’ to protect consumer data; and Starlink lost over 200 satellites in two months.

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Subjects: AI, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw Legislation, Cybersecurity, Government Resources, Legal Research, Privacy, Public Records, Search Engines, Social Media

Artificial Intelligence Tools and Tips

Jim Calloway, Director of the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Management Assistance Program and Julie Bays, OBA Practice Management Advisor, aiding attorneys in using technology and other tools to efficiently manage their offices, recommend that now is a good time to experiment with specific AI-powered tools and suggest the best techniques for using them.

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Subjects: AI, Communications, Continuing Legal Education, KM, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Legal Technology, Technology Trends

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 16, 2023

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Appeals Court Upholds Public.Resource.Org’s Right to Post Public Laws and Regulations Online; Hackers Are Salivating Over Electric Cars; and How Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa Target You With Ads.

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Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Communications, Comparative/Foreign Law, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, Human Rights, Legal Research, Privacy

AI in Banking and Finance, September 15, 2023

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government reports and industry white papers as well as academic papers on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available, indicate links to alternate free versions. Each entry includes the publication name, date published, article title and abstract. Four highlights from this week: Generative Artificial Intelligence in Finance: Risk Considerations; Banks hear the eerie echoes of AI-generated voices; I.R.S. Deploys Artificial Intelligence to Catch Tax Evasion; and Blockchain, AI Set to Transform Financial Markets: Moody’s.

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Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Blockchain, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 9, 2023

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy; Artificial Intelligence’s Use and Rapid Growth Highlight Its Possibilities and Perils; How To Stop Facebook Using Your Personal Data To Train AI; and CBP Tells Airports Its New Facial Recognition Target is 75% of Passengers Leaving the US.

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Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Email Security, Privacy, Social Media

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 2, 2023

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: X [Twitter] to collect biometric, employment information from paid users and will use your twitter data to train Musk’s AI; Hacking campaign bruteforces Cisco VPNs to breach networks; When Apps Go Rogue; NCSC Issues Cyber Warning Over AI Chatbots; and Is it safe to charge my phone at a public charging station?

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Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

The Case For Large Language Model Optimism in Legal Research From A Law & Technology Librarian

The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) in legal research signifies a transformative shift. This article by Sean Harrington critically evaluates the advent and fine-tuning of Law-Specific LLMs, such as those offered by Casetext, Westlaw, and Lexis. Unlike generalized models, these specialized LLMs draw from databases enriched with authoritative legal resources, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Harrington highlights the importance of advanced prompting techniques and the innovative utilization of embeddings and vector databases, which enable semantic searching, a critical aspect in retrieving nuanced legal information. Furthermore, the article addresses the ‘Black Box Problem’ and explores remedies for transparency. It also discusses the potential of crowdsourcing secondary materials as a means to democratize legal knowledge. In conclusion, this article emphasizes that Law-Specific LLMs, with proper development and ethical considerations, can revolutionize legal research and practice, while calling for active engagement from the legal community in shaping this emerging technology.

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Subjects: AI, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Research, Legal Research Training, LEXIS, Search Engines, Search Strategies, Westlaw

Unforgotten on the Day of the Disappeared: Missing human rights advocates 

On August 30th each year the world is reminded that hundreds of thousands of people in at least 85 countries don’t know where their loved ones are, or even whether they are alive or dead. For the victims of enforced disappearance and their families, every day is the Day of the Disappeared. The unrelenting uncertainty and anguish of not knowing the truth of what has happened to their family member is a recognized form of torture for both the disappeared and their families. The crime of enforced disappearance cuts off the disappeared from any access to legal representation or judicial remedies – they are placed “outside all protection of the law.” “Rampant” global impunity for enforced disappearance has led the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, and UN bodies to call on all countries to ratify or accede to the Convention for the Protection of all Persons against Enforced Disappearances (Convention or ICPPED). Catherine Morris brings much needed attention to the fact that of the UN’s 193 countries, only 72 have ratified or acceded to the Convention. Canada and the United States (US) are not yet among them. The unrelenting uncertainty and anguish of not knowing the truth of what has happened to their family member is a recognized form of torture for both the disappeared and their families. The crime of enforced disappearance cuts off the disappeared from any access to legal representation or judicial remedies – they are placed “outside all protection of the law.”

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Subjects: Civil Liberties, Comparative/Foreign Law, Human Rights, Legal Research, Terrorism

AI in Finance and Banking – August 30, 2023

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government reports and industry white papers as well as academic papers on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available, indicate links to alternate free versions. Each entry includes the publication name, date published, article title and abstract. Four highlights from this week: Are Large Language Models Finance’s Second Shot At AI?; Convergence of AI and blockchain: Unlocking new possibilities; Generative AI in Operational Risk Management: and Generative AI in Operational Risk Management: Harnessing the Future of Finance.

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Subjects: AI, AI in Banking and Finance, Blockchain, Economy, Financial System, Government Resources
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