Legalweek
kicks
off
next
week
in
New
York,
which
means
it’s
time
for
the
annual
deluge
of
legal
tech
announcements
timed
to
coincide
with
the
event.
Among
the
pre-show
announcements,
Relativity
unveiled
its
fifth
annual
AI
Visionaries
list,
honoring
20
individuals
the
company
recognizes
as
shaping
how
AI
gets
understood,
applied,
and
integrated
across
the
legal
ecosystem.
This
year’s
class
of
20
honorees
draws
from
global
law
firms,
Fortune
500
companies,
academia,
media,
and
the
public
sector.
The
roster
includes
folks
from
Quinn
Emanuel,
Cleary
Gottlieb,
Morgan
Lewis,
Arnold
&
Porter,
Clifford
Chance,
Google,
Walmart,
Bayer,
and
GE
Vernova,
among
others.
Legal
media
even
gets
a
nod
with
the
inclusion
of
Richard
Tromans
of
Artificial
Lawyer.
What’s
notable
about
this
year’s
list
is
less
the
names
and
more
the
tenor
of
what
the
honorees
are
saying.
Scan
the
quotes
on
the
Relativity
page
and
you’ll
notice
a
theme.
Almost
nobody
is
talking
about
AI
in
the
breathless,
revolutionary
terms
that
dominated
legal
tech
marketing
circa
2023.
The
vibe
has
shifted
from
“AI
will
transform
everything!”
to
“AI
is
already
here,
and
the
real
work
is
making
it
reliable.”
“Humans
have
a
tendency
to
associate
fluency
with
authority,
often
to
our
detriment,”
Adrian
Agius
of
Gilbert
+
Tobin
said.
“In
law,
where
language
is
the
medium
of
advocacy,
that
bias
can
become
dangerous
if
left
unchecked.”
Dave
Fronapfel,
working
in
the
public
sector,
emphasized
that
“Change
for
the
sake
of
change
is
not
a
good
policy
for
institutions
that
rely
on
public
trust.”
And
Ankur
Malik
of
Clifford
Chance
stressed
the
cardinal
rule
that
this
stuff
“not
take
action
without
explicit
human
approval
and
a
clear
line
of
accountability.”
That’s
a
far
cry
from
the
“fire
all
the
associates”
fantasies
that
dominates
the
venture
capitalist
discourse.
Which
tracks
with
what
we’ve
been
writing
about
Relativity
for
a
while
now.
The
company
has
consistently
positioned
itself
in
the
“AI
should
help
lawyers
do
their
jobs
better”
camp
rather
than
the
“AI
should
replace
lawyers”
camp.
The
AI
Visionaries
selection
reflects
that
philosophy
because
these
aren’t
people
pitching
moonshots,
but
people
dealing
with
the
day-to-day
successes
and
frustrations.
“[T]he
implementation
and
impact
of
AI
in
the
industries
we
support
function
as
a
great
equalizer,”
said
Deric
Yoakley
of
Walmart.
“We
are
all
learning
about
it
at
the
same
time.”
The
honorees
will
be
celebrated
at
a
recognition
dinner
on
March
9,
featuring
Chris
Wiggins,
a
Columbia
applied
math
professor
who
doubles
as
Chief
Data
Scientist
at
the
New
York
Times.
Those
attending
Legalweek
can
find
Relativity
at
RelHQ
at
Convene
30
Hudson
Yards
or
at
booth
#501
in
the
North
Javits
Center
—
the
conference’s
new
home
this
year.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.