04
Mon, Nov
1 New Articles

Silicon Attorneys

Commentary
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

The opening sentence of an article titled "AI am the law" in the March 10, 2005, edition of The Economist asks, "Given the choice, who would you rather trust to safeguard your future: a bloodsucking lawyer or a cold, calculating computer?" The article goes on to predict that the day is soon coming when artificial intelligence (AI) systems will dispense legal advice to the masses. It suggests that we will be able to consult intelligent, software-based legal services over the Web rather than spend hundreds of dollars an hour to hire a real, living, breathing lawyer.

I believe that we should stop and think long and hard before following this path. Consider the massive unemployment that would result from replacing lawyers with computers. It would be an economic and human catastrophe beyond belief. The inhumanity of putting all of those people out of work is almost too ghastly to contemplate. We should give serious pause for at least a moment before being so heartless as to let these people go without giving them so much as a fare-thee-well. And think not only of them, but also of the innocent spouses and children who depend on them.

I'm not against progress, nor am I a Luddite. All I'm suggesting is that, before we march blindly into this brave new world of legal technology "progress," we should give some thought to the hundreds of hard-working, good-hearted comedians who earn their living by telling lawyer jokes. What would they do? Many of them have no other skills. To survive, some of them would, no doubt, turn to dealing drugs. Catching and trying all of those drug-dealing former comedians would, in turn, clog up our legal system. They would then have to rely on computerized lawyers for their defense. How's that for irony? As a caring society, we should show some compassion for these poor souls before we thoughtlessly replace lawyers with computers.

Oh yeah, hundreds of thousands of lawyers would also be put out of work, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, as they say.

Progress being relentless, it won't stop with computerized lawyers. It's inevitable that computers will eventually take over more and more tasks throughout the judicial system. Already, some judges are turning to computers to make sentencing more consistent.

Where will it all end? Will we also have AI-based legislatures to complement our virtual justice system? Come to think of it, artificially intelligent lawmakers would be a giant leap forward compared to some of our current politicians who don't even bother to make any pretense of real intelligence, but that's a whole other tirade.

All kidding aside, I personally think that merely automating some legal advice does not go nearly far enough. I say eliminate all humans from the justice system. That would be a tremendous boon to me when it comes to writing these tirades. My beat is technology, not the law. The more technology that there is in the legal system, the better it is for me. I'm confident that it would provide enough material to keep these tirades going for years.

I can hardly wait for the first screw-up. I can just see the day when a virtual judge, which sees all parties as mere numbers, awards custody of a child to the family pet, or maybe to the family PC, in a divorce case. Then again, judging from the media horror stories about what a few parents do to their children, in some cases that would be a far wiser decision than giving custody to either of the parents.

Obviously, a number of important questions must be addressed before we adopt a computerized judicial system. For example, would a computerized judge have to recuse itself because of a conflict of interest in a software liability case? Could mainframe systems serve on a jury in a personal injury trial, or would we need to use personal computers to form a jury of peers? Would a mistrial force a system reboot? Would a "fatal protection fault" error result in the death penalty? And, in a similar vein, would jurisdictions that still mete out capital punishment accept the blue screen of death as a reasonable substitute?

I do see at least one benefit to computerized judgments. There will no longer be any opportunity for human bias to affect trials. What's more, it will avoid the possibility of bribes. Computers don't have feelings. They feel neither the need nor the want for anything. Offering a few hundred dollars under the computer desk is not going to buy you a favorable judgment. On the downside (or the upside if you're a hacker), particularly good hackers will have access to a steady stream of get-out-of-jail-free cards.

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, a writer, and president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based marketing communications firm. Joel has 25 years experience working in IT, first as a programmer/analyst and then as a marketer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto. Contact Joel at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. He is currently looking for software that will defend him against any lawyers who might sue him for defamation of character as a result of this column.

Joel Klebanoff

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, writer, and formerly president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto-based marketing communications firm. He has 30 years' experience in various IT capacities and now specializes in writing articles, white papers, and case studies for IT vendors and publications across North America. Joel is also the author of BYTE-ing Satire, a compilation of a year's worth of his columns. He holds a BS in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto.


MC Press books written by Joel Klebanoff available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

BYTE-ing Satire BYTE-ing Satire
Find out the hilarious answer to the eternal question: "Is technology more hindrance than help?"
List Price $14.95

Now On Sale

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: