In the past year, knowledge and use of generative AI have dramatically risen. ChatGPT, Bard, and other such services have disrupted numerous industries and commanded news cycles. For attorneys, this newly accessible tool offers the potential of supporting and enhancing their work, reducing the amount of time needed to review documents or conduct legal research. Yet along with its promises of efficiency and cost reduction, the use of ChatGPT by attorneys and legal teams provokes a number of ethical questions that cannot go unanswered. Indeed, upholding the confidentiality of information and the duty to supervise, among other ethical responsibilities, can easily be overlooked and unwittingly violated. In response, attorneys have begun to get sanctioned for inappropriate use of ChatGPT, and some judges are demanding that counsel attest to not having used the technology. Attorneys hoping to better understand how to approach these technologies while upholding ethical standards will find this conversation by our AI subject matter experts a helpful guide to navigating this developing tool.

In this seminar, our expert panelists begin by reviewing what artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI are. Next, our speakers explore the ethical and legal pitfalls of using AI, highlighting the relevant ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Rules 1.1, 1.6, 5.3) and a recent example of the unethical use of generative AI in the past year. Our experts then contrast the risks by highlighting effective uses of AI for attorneys that can streamline work, help manage vast amounts of data, and avoid human error. The conversation concludes with a discussion of how AI can be expected to impact the legal profession in the short and long term.