We should recall that in 1943, Thomas Watson, President of IBM, said “I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers”:
“We are bombarded every day with the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world right before our eyes. Is it going to catapult us into prosperity, happiness and fulfillment? Or is it a scourge upon the land ready to steal our jobs, numb our minds and act as a gateway drug to totalitarianism?…The practice of law plays an interesting role in this debate. Major changes are taking place in how legal services are delivered, how fees are calculated and how legal work is performed. There are countless opportunities to take advantage of the dramatic recent technological advances. But at the same time, the highly risk-averse legal profession is almost by nature, one of the slowest adopters of new technology. So how AI will ultimately impact the legal profession is still a very open question.”
Read: Automating Attorneys: Hope or Hype? (Perspective) at Bloomberg BNA Business of Law