The new A.I. chatbot called ChatGPT gained immense popularity, reaching 100 million users in two months. This is faster than social media giants like TikTok and Instagram, which took nine months and two and a half years, respectively, to reach the same milestone. And OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is now among the top 50 most visited websites worldwide.
So it appears that ChatGPT will be the most radical technology shift in the past few decades. Naturally, many lawyers are curious about what this means for them and their practices.
Some lawyers are wondering about the basics and want to know…
What is ChatGPT?
The short answer is: ChatGPT is a platform that allows you to have a conversation with an AI robot. It’s free, easy to use, and incredibly powerful.
At this point, a lot of people are aware of this. So, the next question many lawyers have is…
What can ChatGPT do?
The short answer is you can ask ChatGPT many things, including:
- write articles or blog posts
- summarize an important concept (e.g. Right of First Refusal)
- draft contracts or petitions
- write emails or revise them to make them easier to read
- write questions for an interview
- create a YouTube script, and more
How does one use ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is easy to use. Just type in a request on the ChatGPT website. For example, you can ask ChatGPT to write a poem, create Twitter posts, or summarize a popular book.
When you start using ChatGPT, you’ll discover it gives surprisingly-accurate responses. However, it takes time to produce its responses, as you can see here.
How can lawyers use ChatGPT?
While ChatGPT is still in an early development phase, lawyers naturally ask how ChatGPT can help them.
ChatGPT presents many valuable opportunities for lawyers, such as creating legal marketing content or drafting legal documents. The potential automation benefits are vast.
Furthermore, companies like Spellbook and Clearbrief are using GPT technology to create law-specific applications that are garnering a lot of attention. You’ll get to see a demonstration of Spellbook in a later lesson.
Although things are rapidly developing, it’s clear already that AI will have an increasingly big role in the legal system.
Challenges ChatGPT poses for lawyers
Just as there were problems when using cameras and electronics in courtrooms, ChatGPT will face issues too. This technology is still being developed and even though it can give accurate answers, ChatGPT isn’t a human lawyer and isn’t always right. So, for now, it won’t replace lawyers.
Also, it’s important to remember that a lawyer’s ethical duties are always more important than using automation tools like ChatGPT.
For instance, there exists the potential for client confidentiality to be jeopardized when transmitting data between the user and the ChatGPT platform. Consequently, it is imperative that legal practitioners thoroughly acquaint themselves with ChatGPT’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use before using the service in conjunction with sensitive client-related data.
Conclusion
ChatGPT is a tool that lets you talk with an AI robot. As you chat more with it, you’ll start to see just how amazing its abilities are. This will help you figure out how to use its power to help you in different ways.
Want to Learn More?
If you want to learn more, click here to sign up for a free email course specifically designed to help lawyers learn to use ChatGPT in their practices.
P.S. If you want my Ultimate Guide to Technology for Lawyers click here.
