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What In The World Is ChatGPT?

(And why should you care?)

Of course you have interacted with bots before. For example, when you are doing an online bank transaction, a pop up message will appear saying something like this:

“Hey, this is Zuri, may I help you?” Or “You are customer number 7 on the queue.”

That is the kind of bot that is programmed to use key words to find answers and solutions for you. If a question does not fall within the key words, then your conversation will tend to be more frustrating than useful.

Enter ChatGPT, the new sassy kid on the block with ‘almost-human’ skills to boot. ChatGPT is a machine learning system specifically tailored for text conversation. It is a digital machine learning system for chatting and answering questions, and hence called a Chatbot in Tech lingo. It works through the methodology of a platform where a user asks a question, and the chatbot gives you an answer. You can ask follow up questions and the system answers questions the way a normal conversation with a human being would flow. You do not need to keep reframing the question. Users rate it as the most updated chatbot so far, better than Siri and Alexa; and it has only been out for public use since November 2022.

What kind of things can it do?

  1. Are you bored? You could have a conversation with Chat GPT about your cat or your catty coworker-he he.
  2. Do you have your Masters thesis and you don’t know where to start? You got that right. ChatGPT is surprisingly conversational and intelligent. It can help you work on your Thesis. Now how about that? Heh?
  3. Do you have a random question? Do you want to write a poem for your lady-love? Write code for a software? Debug your computer? All that and a bag of chips, ChatGPT has got you.
  4. Do you need actual, real-life advice? One user asked the bot how to boost his mood, and the answers were rather practical, ranging from taking a walk to calling a friend to practicing gratitude. Now, how’s that for an imaginary friend?

While the creators of the Chatbot do not claim that it knows everything, the bot has been fed with a wide range of information and it is able to sort through it and give cogent and human-like answers.

Who regulates ChatGPT and its Artificial Intelligence?

Data Privacy Laws are the closest thing to regulation that Kenya, and indeed most of the world has on Artificial Intelligence. The European Union (EU) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act could become the global standard from which countries could borrow from, and this Act could very well determine to what extent AI affects you day to day.

So far, the biggest regulation pitfall has been the amorphous nature of AI, and the ability of developers to embed algorithms which may be invisible to the human eye, and hence defying regulation. However, since AI is still in its crawling stage, Kenya needs to make steps towards regulation.

Does ChatGPT replace lawyers?

Short answer? No. It is not that good.

Long answer? It does come close. Lawyers who have so far used the machine learning system have been astonished at how clear its arguments were, and how its answers sounded like those of an entry level attorney. We do not know what the iteration for ChatGPT will be, and it does sound a wakeup call for lawyers to be at the forefront of technological innovation. We must make Technology and ally, not competition of enemy. We must guide it to our advantage.

What opportunities does it present for Lawyers?

The chatbot is still in the testing phase, and we await to see whether it will be possible to make integrations on it with website and applications. This would enable lawyers do the following:

  1. It could be an easy way to automate your consultation hours, saving you hours spent talking to different clients about the same subject. A chatGPT model, tailored properly for billing and compliance with LSK requirements could be your next step to automated consultations.
  2. This could also be useful in CSR and Pro-bono legal consultations for the mass market. Civil Society Lawyer’s would have an easy way of ensuring access to justice for their clients, not to mention a great learning tool.
  3. ChatGpt or its doppelganger is a good client funnel, and could be commercialized by lawyers to grow their client base.

An Attorney asks ChatGPT for a 14 page Legal Opinion…

Andrew M. Perlman a US Attorney asked ChatGPT for a legal justification on why gay marriages have been legalized in the Country.
The bot produced a 14 page write-up on the topic and the attorney was quoted as saying:

“It is not prime for sure, but it has the markings of an Attorney.”     Andrew M. Perlman, US Attorney

After completion of the task, ChatGPT went on to say:

"It is not ethical for me to provide legal advice as I am not a qualified legal professional. Because ChatGPT is a machine learning system, it may not have the same level of understanding and judgment as a human lawyer when it comes to interpreting legal principles and precedent," the bot writes. "This could lead to problems in situations where a more in-depth legal analysis is required."

There you have it. A Chatbot that is also aware of its limitations. We might want to take notes about self-awareness from a machine, ladies and gentlemen!

Written by Elixa on Tuesday May 14, 2024

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