Goessel lawyer to to study AI’s role in legal industry
Staff writer
Goessel lawyer Amanda Voth will be one of 21 people connected to the state judicial branch studying the use of artificial intelligence in the court system.
“The expanding use of generative AI within the legal community is something that has interested me,” Voth said. “I developed a continuing legal education presentation on ethical considerations of generative AI and cybersecurity beginning in August 2023 and have been able to present this program to hundreds of attorneys. I am excited to be able to contribute to helping guide attorneys in ethical considerations of generative AI as this tool becomes integrated into the legal profession.”
Voth said people in the legal profession had been using “intelligence” for decades. A lawyer or government office might need to draft a motion on a certain topic and ask others for examples instead of starting from scratch.
AI can make legal practice more efficient and cost-effective, but lawyers still must do legal research, exercise judgment, and verify information generated by AI.
Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or legal-specific generative programs could assist in writing legal documents, researching and analyzing cases, and communicating with clients, Voth said
“Generative AI can potentially help with access to justice,” she said. “The wide range of uses of generative AI are continuing to develop and expand. The use of generative AI has the potential to save attorneys time and clients money.”
But AI has its pitfalls, Voth said. Those include that AI can “hallucinate” or insert fictional information. For that reason, people must be vigilant about its use, Voth said.
“Whether courts across Kansas decide to implement generative AI programs will be something explored through this new committee,” Voth said.