Futurelawyer

The Florida Bar - 2023 Annual Convention - Annual Technology Symposium

I am happy, again, to be a presenter at the Florida Bar Convention Annual Technology Symposium, at the Boca Raton Resort on June 21st. I, and Carlos Baradat, will be presenting on tools, software and hardware, and methods for practicing law remotely. My readers know that using tech to practice anywhere I happen to be, is one of my lifelong passions. Technology has advanced to the point that physical location of the lawyer is no longer relevant. The tools are able to be worn, carried, or used anywhere. Satellite Internet, wearable computers, and cloud access to software and data, have made it easy to do what needs to get done, wherever I am. I married my love of law to my love of driving around in my RV, and have outfitted my RV with a desk, chair, Internet access, a large screen monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, and anything else I used to use at the office or at home. Many are living the nomadic lifestyle, and, since the pandemic, Zoom video conferences have become court hearings, in most routine cases. The biggest new development is world wide Internet access using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system. It isn't completely ubiquitous yet; but, married to cellular Internet available to most phone systems as a backup, it is possible to access software and data just about anywhere in the world. Anyone who wants a copy of our slide presentation, let me know after the Convention. 

Confirmation Bias Is Not Legal Research.

The Perils of Consulting An Electric Monk For Legal Research. This is a wonderful article on the recent ChatGPT legal research kerfuffle involving a hapless lawyer who relied on ChatGPT's made up cases in a legal memorandum. Reliance on information from someone else is a product of the information age. In this case, of course, the lawyer didn't go far enough to check the accuracy of the information provided by the AI, and is paying the price. But, as Jordan Furlong points out, we all do it all the time. We are so enamored by answers that align with our beliefs, that we accept them at face value. Confirmation bias is present in everything modern humans do. We have become consumers of information, and there is so much of it that we don't always check it for accuracy. Our antennae must be up at all times in an environment of the Internet of Things, in which computers and answers generated by them will be more and more in our lives. Be careful out there.

The Generative AI Wars Have Another Army Ready To Go.

Google Palm 2 Announced By Google. Google didn't let grass grow under its feet, and expanded on Bard, its AI challenger to ChatGPT4, with Palm 2. Neither I nor my readers will likely understand the nuances of Generative AI; but we need to be conversant with the players. They will be behind most of the apps and sites we use every day. Google has the largest training database to use with its AI offerings, and that alone will make it a player in the AI battles to come. You need to become conversant with the different offerings so that you can learn to use them. Palm 2 versus ChatGPT4 versus Google Bard versus whatever comes next. Compute on.

Is 5G Living Up To The Hype?

5G Rollout Disappointments. You don't have to be a road warrior lawyer to need fast cellular Internet access. As our lives go faster, and our dependence on broadband Internet increase, the need for speed follows us everywhere: to the courthouse, the grocery store, our relatives' and friends' homes, and everywhere else our busy lives take us. We carry our lives on our phones in our pockets, and slow Internet doesn't get the job done. As 5G cellular access becomes more ubiquitous, however, there are always some problems, just as 4G was, in its infancy. I have added satellite Internet access for my travels, partly because I love adopting new tech; but, also to hedge my bets. In my travels in the RV, I always have options for Internet, and I have yet to face a situation in which both cellular Internet and satellite Internet don't do the job. Of course, there is always RV park WiFi; but, it is notoriously slow, and insecure. I have gotten into the habit of using a VPN everywhere, in order to secure my traffic whatever avenue I am taking to the Net. So, by all means, use your 5G cellular Internet first, before you default to WiFi; and consider adding Starlink to your arsenal. Be a lawyer wherever you are.

 

ChatGPT For Lawyers - Free Email Course From Ernie Svenson.

One of the best tech educators for lawyers is Ernie Svenson. He has a gift for computer training that will help any solo or small firm lawyer become tech competent. He has a new email course on the current rage, ChatGPT, which is rapidly changing the landscape in the practice of law, and in every other human endeavor. If you want an in depth law focused training, you can't do any better. Thanks, Ernie, for doing the grunt work for the rest of us. 

Find My Phone, Please.

Finding your phone when it's turned off - a new Android feature? I have been a fan of Find my phone apps ever since I left mine in a Las Vegas restaurant some years ago. Luckily, I had installed one of the new find my phone apps, Lookout mobile security. When SWMBO and I got back to our hotel, I was frantic. The phone had my life on it, and Las Vegas is not a place where valuables are very safe. Then, I remembered Lookout, and, sitting on the hotel room bed, I powered it up on my laptop. Sure enough, there was my phone, blinking away. It was in the restaurant, and we quickly caught a cab back to the restaurant. Luckily, again, the waiter had taken the phone to the front desk, where a relieved FutureLawyer retrieved it, and vacation was saved. Since that time, Android has incorporated the feature into its phones; but, unless the phone was stolen, it can sit forever in a location never to be found while it is powered down. I have been much better about never leaving the phone lying around; but, a new feature planned for Android will soon be able to locate the phone even if turned off. Of course, this will ruin the plot of many TV shows and movies, because the plot line will no longer be able to rely on the "criminal just turned on the phone" gambit. Oh well. Get creative, TV writers. 

Kevin O'Keefe Explains Generative AI.

Okay children, I have been talking about ChatGPT a lot lately, "generative AI" for the computer scientists among you. Okay, none of us are computer scientists; but this description of generative AI by my mentor, Kevin O'Keefe, is a clear and concise as you will find. You need to understand this stuff. This truly is the next great advance in computer technology, and its reverberations will be felt until every one of us is dead, and long after. We are on the cusp of an era of truly intelligent machines, which promises to change the way we work, the way we live our lives, and the way we describe our futures. Learn this stuff. Use it. Play with it. It is fundamental.

 

ChatGPT-4 Is Here. Think Artificial Intelligence On Steroids.

Open AI Releases ChatGPT-4. AS a subscriber to ChatGPT Plus, I am now rocking Version 4, which is far more comprehensive, intelligent and responsive that the previous version. Generative AI is becoming more "human" all the time. I am very excited about putting it through its paces. I also think that there are a lot of developers and companies trying to figure out how this new technology can power their software in the future. It is only a matter of time until AI is indistinguishable from the smartest human being on the planet. Of course, the systems will never be anything but human mimics that create human like conversations and information. The system will never convincingly duplicate human wit, poetic sensibility, and judgment. And, no, Virginia, Terminator robots will not walk the planet killing humans. At least, I don't think so. I could be wrong. Version 4 makes the same mistakes Version 3 made when I asked if it knew me. So, ChatGPT and other AI results will still have to be carefully edited by humans before being used. But, this thing can save hours and hours of human research and writing. Science fiction is becoming Science fact.

 

Sorry, Google. There's A New Sheriff In Town.

Google and the other Internet search engines are scrambling these days. I am certain that they have been working on adding generative AI to their search capabilities for some years; but, the explosive nature of the recent beta opening of ChatGPT has every AI developer in a tizzy. It's like a new Gold rush. Everyone is rushing to catch up. Somehow, simple Google search results, that require choosing a website from a list, and opening it, and searching for relevant information, seems caveman like. It feels like it did when we graduated from text line searching in the early days to web browsers that created lists of resources, and, then again, when web browsers went graphical. The march of technology waits for no one. Google is now rushing to add AI to its search results. I will certainly try it out; but, for now, ChatGPT has become the first place I go when I want instant results. 

Efax Messenger App - Your Computer Is Your Fax Machine.

Efax Messenger. Remember Fax machines? The rush of technology advances has made many recent tech apps obsolete quickly. I can remember the early fax machines, which were cumbersome behemoths as large as a typewriter. You remember typewriters, don't you? The fax machine required a separate phone line at the office, and you had to travel from your office to the machine, and wait for the print out. I suspect that there are still offices using these things. But, these days, most of us have a fax app; and the granddaddy of computer based faxing is the Efax app. EFax Messenger is a free app that allows users to send and receive faxes via email or computer. The app is designed to simplify the process of faxing by eliminating the need for a traditional fax machine and phone line. With EFax Messenger, users can send faxes directly from their computer or mobile device, without having to print out documents and physically send them. The app supports a variety of file types, including PDF, DOC, and JPG, and allows users to add electronic signatures to their faxes. EFax Messenger also includes features such as a searchable inbox and the ability to track the status of sent faxes. Overall, EFax Messenger is a convenient and efficient way to send and receive faxes in a digital age. I love the fact that it sits, as an icon, in my app tray, and I can call it up at any time. For around $20 a month, I get a dedicated phone number, and can send and receive faxes without moving from my chair. Brave new world. How are you faxing?