Robin AI, an emergent legal technology entity, has unveiled an innovative addition to its generative artificial intelligence system, “Robin”, promising a profound reshaping of the legal workspace. With the introduction of this cutting-edge tool, attorneys could see an 82% reduction in contract review time, freeing them from the chains of monotonous tasks and unlocking more hours for consequential pursuits.
A Leap Forward in Contract Review
Robin’s most recent feature seeks to revolutionize the domain of contract exploration, an area long identified by legal professionals as dreary and time-consuming. Employing a state-of-the-art large language model (LLM), Robin enables users to swiftly pinpoint specifics across an extensive contractual database. At the helm of Robin AI are visionaries Richard Robinson and James Clough, who believe they have developed the premier generative AI tool tailored for this challenging task.
“We just thought that was kind of crazy—when the legal sector is more than 1% of the world’s GDP, and it’s people emailing word documents back and forth to each other and not using any kind of specialist software” Clough mentioned recently.
Their mission is not to eclipse human participation but to liberate it. By automating repetitious tasks, they intend to elevate human capabilities, aiming to bolster the importance of human roles in the legal spectrum.
Human and AI Collaboration: A Symbiotic Relationship
Drawing from his legal experiences, Robinson, who once graced the corridors of Clifford Chance and Boies Schiller Flexner, elucidated, “The overarching vision was to craft an AI adept at contract comprehension, facilitating instantaneous searches across a company’s comprehensive contract bank.”
Emphasizing the tool’s complementary nature, Clough clarifying that it’s, “not cutting them out of the process, but letting them actually be more focused on the kind of things humans are good at, and then letting the computer be focused on things computers are good at”. He observed the genuine passion lawyers possess for counsel, guidance, and decision-making, in stark contrast to the drudgery of ceaseless document scrutiny.
The broader legal community has, understandably, expressed reservations about leaning too heavily on AI, fearing potential inaccuracies or misinterpretations. Preempting such concerns, Robin AI has equipped its Copilot with a transparent rationale system, detailing sources and origins of its information. This facilitates a more interactive engagement, enabling attorneys to pose intricate inquiries like tracing specific clauses or terms within their contractual compendium.
The Impact of Generative AI in the Workspace
ChatGPT’s advent in November 2022 catalyzed a renewed interest in AI application across industries, epitomizing the capacities of the LLM. Clough heralds the LLM as a transformative stride in AI evolution, one not restricted to mere Q&A but capable of “generating fresh data.”
Speaking of the prospective trajectory, Clough remarked, “The result of that, I think, is not what some people would expect, which is fewer lawyers. I think what you’ll see is that legal work becoming much more accessible, and people who weren’t able to afford a lawyer before, now they’re able to have one because the cost of legal work can go down very significantly”. He equated this paradigm shift to the transformative effect Microsoft Excel wielded over accountancy, not minimizing the number of accountants, but broadening access.
Already, Robin’s LLM iteration, baptized “Claude” and a brainchild of AI pioneer Anthropic, has yielded staggering efficiencies. Preliminary adoptions have witnessed an astonishing average contract review time reduction of 82%.
Conclusion: The Future of Contract Management
Although Robin AI’s avant-garde offerings remain yet to be universally embraced, its potential is unmistakable. Clough ardently believes in the transformative essence of Robin’s generative technology in reshaping the legal tapestry of contract management.
Reiterating the essence of this AI-human synergy, Clough summarized that machines should tackle the mundane, allowing humans the liberty to strategize, decide, and envision. The implications are clear: as the legal landscape grapples with burgeoning case files and contracts, AI could be the invaluable ally it needs.
