Futurelawyer

And Even The Blind Shall See.

Chat GPT-4 V (with Vision) We haven't even gotten comfortable with Chat GPT-4 yet, and we have a whole new generative AI paradigm to learn. Adding Vision capability to the Chat GPT universe means that, when the tech matures, blind people will be able to have the world interpreted for them on the fly. Already, GPT-4V can take an image of an interface, and instantly create the computer code necessary to create it. Any image now has the interpretive benefit of the entire Chat GPT database behind it. I can envision (pardon the pun) a world in which vision impaired humans will be able to walk around with Smartglasses that orally interpret the world for the user, with depth that even the human eye and brain can't imitate. For those who want to focus on the flaws of early iterations, as this article does, and for the naysayers who want to talk about the risk of a world in which computers can think for us, I say the benefits far outweigh the risks, and, as time has proven, technological advances can't be stopped anyway. Let's learn to live with them, and enhance the ability of our human species to engage life, for as long as we are graced to live it.

Forget AI - It's Time For A Little AR.

Here is a novel concept. How about spending some time in Actual Reality? You will be amazed at the wonders you can see. And, interaction with the environment is as easy as walking around and touching things.

 

Someday, You Will Be Able To Wear Your Computer On Your Head.

Nimoplanet. I try not to get excited over vapor products anymore. I seldom help fund pie in the sky schemes the way I once did. I lost $5,000 to a new 3 wheel car idea a few years back, and I have supported various online projects that never made it to reality. But, putting a computer into a pair of glasses is intriguing, and I reserved a pair over a year ago. It took them a year to respond to my email about putting prescription lenses into the glasses; but, today I got a reply that prescription lenses are possible. So, still pie in the sky; but an interesting concept. This concept video is pretty slick. Again, may I live so long.

 

Pay Attention, Lawyers And Everyone. The AI Wars Have Begun.

Are you paying attention? The AI Wars have leapt into our consciousness this past month, and it will only get messier from here on. AI in a conversational computer is a game changer for Internet search, and the two biggest players, Microsoft and Google, have been duking it out for some time. The real beginnings were in 2017; but, the admission of the rest of us late in 2022, has exploded in the past month. You must get familiar with this stuff. It is already changing the way I use the Internet. I chose ChatGPT, from OpenAI, which has a basic, non judgmental model available for $20 a month, which is already saving me a lot of research time with fact finding and data retrieval. I can take its results, and make it mine, by applying my skills and knowledge and writing ability to its results. Microsoft has incorporated a more advanced version into Bing; but, its model has an attitude problem. According to Microsoft, that is because its language model is more sophisticated; but, I prefer just the facts, Ma'am, and ChatGPT, although it seems to have a left leaning political bent, is working for me so far. Google is late to the game, and its version, awkwardly nicknamed "Bard" is typical of Google. I predict Google will advance quickly, as it has the deepest bench, and has led Internet research for a long time. But, you need to educate yourself, no matter who you are. If you are a lawyer, this is essential knowledge if you intend to practice law in the future. Watch this short video, and then scour everything you can find on generative AI. You heard it here. Now, do something about it.

 

Still Think The Terminator Story Is Far Fetched?

Billy Oppenheimer has been unearthing and recording interviews with Steve Jobs. This snippet comes from one in which he discusses the computer revolution as man's attempt to use tool making abilities to enhance human function. Jobs comes up with a brilliant take that can be applied to the current rise of AI, and intelligent artificial knowledge systems. Could AI rise to the level shown in the Terminator movies? Could AI develop into an entity that decided that unenhanced humans were a scourge to the planet? It is a topic worth discussing as we run into a future of technology that is faster, and smarter than humans. If we build it, what will come?

1981 Steve Jobs with the best analogy I’ve heard to understand what AI might do to humans: pic.twitter.com/nFJ2rN5qwf

— Billy Oppenheimer (@bpoppenheimer) February 8, 2023

Thanksgiving Week - Take The Week Off, Give Thanks, And Live A Little.

Dream Glass 4K. A week long RV trip this week had to be cancelled. Problems with our tow vehicle, Herbie. I won't bore you with the details; but, in the RV life, these things happen. So, we are having a staycation. Tomorrow, we will cruise around Busch Gardens, on our new mobility vehicles. Wednesday to Sea World in Orlando, and Thursday and Friday we will feast on Turkey, dressing, leftovers and football. One of the cool things about semi-retirement is that I can work when I want to work, and find joyful activity when not working. Try to take some time this week to do what is fun and joyful for you. Don't worry about what others think. They are irrelevant. All of them. The only person who knows how to spend your life is you. One of my fun activities is to find all the tech that I have that I don't use a lot, and tinker with it. In this photo, I am, today, revisiting my Augmented Reality glasses from Dream Glass. These goggles put a virtual 120 inch big screen in front of you, and earphones give great sound. It connects to the Internet, so there are thousands of channels, movies and videos to choose from. Right now, I am watching Perry Mason reruns, most of which I have seen several times. That TV show sparked my interest in the law many years ago, and I have a nostalgic reverence for it. I paid $799 for them 7 years ago, and you can get them today for $599. There is a newer version that doesn't require a cable, and is totally wire free. I am bringing them on our next RV adventure, so that we can both be entertained by our favorite stuff while in a confined space. Now, go have some fun, and give thanks.

The FutureLawyer's Next Event Might Be In The Metaverse.

Web Event - Mastering The Metaverse. Just as I prepare to give a presentation tomorrow at the Florida Bar Convention on remote lawyering from physical locations other than a traditional law office, I have received this announcement from Steve Tover, of AnyLaw, about a two hour webinar on June 30th discussing the Metaverse, a virtual world in which many persons can create an avatar and interact in real time over the Internet. The modern Internet finally has enough bandwidth to make such an environment useful, and Steve wants to show that it can be a way for lawyers to interact in a virtual environment. Is this the future of the Internet, or another fad? Watch and see. As an aside, I will be at Camping World on the 30th, with my RV, having some work done, and it is ironic that I will be working that day in a Camping World waiting area, and plan to attend the webinar while there. 

SmartGlasses Have Come A Long Way, Baby.

When I posted this ten years ago, this was state of the art in head mounted displays. Even though we can now fit this tech into a pair of sunglasses, most of us choose Bose Frames, which only send music and phone calls into our heads. Soon, however, video heads up displays will be back in glasses, and little cameras will be shooting short video. Rayban already has video built in to its Smartglasses; but, the audio leaves a lot to be desired. How would you like to cuddle up to this?

Varjo - Mixed Virtual Immersive Augmented Reality

What if you could train a jet pilot with a realistic in cockpit reality that combines a true view with augmented training aids? What if surgeons could wear a headset that actually put them in the operating theater? While Varjo is already doing this, I imagine a world in which jurors and judges and lawyers could actually go to a scene and augmented reality could inform the actual environment. What if you could train law students in a real courtroom, with augmented players in the other roles? Augmented reality is the future, and it is here now. Fast forward through the first 5 minutes of this video, which is just a musical intro. 

Future Lawyers Will Train Like Astronauts.

Susskind predicts that lawyers will train like Astronauts with VR. Legal futurist Richard Susskind shares my view that VR glasses are suitable for much more than spatial visual training for members of the military and astronauts. While these professionals navigate real space and time, and operate complex machinery such as jet aircraft and space vehicles, lawyers navigate courtrooms, and interact with other lawyers, judges, juries and clients. Some of my most beneficial law school training didn't come from long nights reading case law out of a book. We had trial practice training also, and pretended to try cases in real courtrooms. But, that kind of training is expensive and requires a large group of people focused on one matter during a semester of training. VR has the promise of creating such environments inside a headset, and the power of AI can bring a realistic edge to practical training. When dial up access to the Internet and computer video cameras became available in the last century, I saw the promise of a future in which I could be a lawyer in the cloud, conducting hearings and consultations while sitting at my desk looking at a computer screen. I saw the benefits of not having to hop in a car, drive to a courthouse, park the car, walk to a courtroom, sit waiting on a hearing, and then going back to the office. Look at us now.