144 |  ⏳⚖️ Decade of Litigation

In today’s Brainyacts:

1. Hollywood & AI legal rights and status

2. Thomson Reuters unleashes Generative AI

3. Big Microsoft updates and more AI model news

4. Lots of lawyers and AI new other related content

👋 to new subscribers!

To read previous editions, click here.

Lead Memo

🎥🎭 Hollywood making AI ‘rights’ more plausible.

The Hollywood strike and the recent SAG-AFTRA agreement have defined “digital replicas” and “synthetic performers.” These actions are building the scaffolding for future AI rights and legal status.

The TV/Theatrical Contracts 2023 document provides a comprehensive overview of the various agreements and provisions relevant to performers, producers, and the SAG-AFTRA union in the entertainment industry. A particularly intriguing section is the one concerning Artificial Intelligence (AI), which delves into the use and regulation of digital replicas and generative AI.

This segment is crucial for understanding the emerging legal and ethical landscape surrounding AI in the entertainment industry. It lays out detailed guidelines for the creation, use, and compensation related to digital replicas of performers, addressing both Employment-Based Digital Replicas and Independently-Created Digital Replicas. The document highlights the need for clear and conspicuous consent from performers for the creation and use of these replicas, and sets specific terms for compensation, use, and residuals. The agreement also discusses the use of Synthetic Performers created through Generative AI, acknowledging the importance of human performance and the potential impact on employment.

The discussion of digital replicas and AI in this context is a precursor to broader conversations about the legal rights of AI entities. In a previous essay, where the possibility of granting AI legal status akin to DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) was explored, the evolving legal framework for AI was considered. The advancements in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, as detailed in this agreement, indeed set the stage for a slippery slope towards recognizing AI rights.

As AI technology progresses, the lines between human and digital performances are blurring, raising questions about identity, authorship, and rights. This agreement, by addressing these issues, is not only setting precedents for the entertainment industry but also contributing to the larger discourse on the legal and ethical implications of AI in our society.

Spotlight

CoCounsel Core - no need for Westlaw subscription

Thomson Reuters recently unveiled their integration of generative artificial intelligence across various tools, a major advancement following their acquisition of Casetext. The company has launched AI-Assisted Research on Westlaw Precision, which employs both proprietary and third-party large language models (LLMs). This service, along with other generative AI integrations for tools like Practical Law and a standalone CoCounsel offering named "CoCounsel Core," emphasizes Thomson Reuters' commitment to enhancing legal research through AI.

Key Highlights:

• AI-Assisted Research on Westlaw Precision: It allows users to interact with the legal research platform via a CoCounsel-style chatbot. Results, which include statute citations ranked by relevance, are tailored to each query and can address state and federal jurisdictions.

• Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG): This framework powers the AI-Assisted Research, utilizing LLMs trained on Thomson Reuters’ legal data. Mike Dahn emphasized the importance of accuracy over hallucination-free responses in AI outputs.

• Integration with Microsoft: A partnership with Microsoft introduces a Copilot plugin for Word, enhancing contract drafting tools.

• Ongoing Development: Thomson Reuters plans to extend AI training to secondary sources and improve processing times, currently averaging 90 seconds to two minutes.

• Build, Buy, and Partner Strategy: A $100 million investment in AI tools reflects Thomson Reuters' long-term commitment to AI, building upon over a decade of AI investment and cloud migration efforts.

• Role of AI in Legal Research: AI tools like Westlaw Precision are designed to complement human research, not replace it. They come with disclaimers about potential inaccuracies.

• CoCounsel Core and Other Integrations: Following the acquisition of Casetext, CoCounsel is being integrated into various Thomson Reuters applications, offering features like deposition drafting and event timeline creation. CoCounsel Core will be available independently at an affordable cost.

• Future Plans: Generative AI technology will also be integrated into Practical Law, with a planned beta release in early 2024.

Thomson Reuters' initiatives reflect a significant step in blending AI with legal research, aiming to enhance efficiency and accuracy while maintaining a balance with human oversight.

For comprehensive coverage - click here and here.

AI Model Notables

► GPT-4 can pass national lawyer ethics exam (MPRE)

► GPT-5 Is Officially on the Way, OpenAI CEO Says

► Microsoft aims to tailor everything ‘from silicon to service’ to meet AI demand - BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS!

• Enhancements to Microsoft Copilot AI: Microsoft Copilot AI receives updates to become more interactive and customizable, especially in Teams meetings, including new personalization features for Word and PowerPoint.

• Introducing Microsoft Copilot Studio: Following OpenAI's announcement of a customizable GPT platform, Microsoft launches Copilot Studio, a no-code solution allowing businesses to create custom copilots or integrate custom ChatGPT AI chatbots.

• Bing Chat Rebrands to Copilot: Microsoft rebrands Bing Chat to Copilot, shifting its focus from competing with Google’s search engine to challenging ChatGPT, with integration into Bing, Microsoft Edge, and Windows 11.

• Multi-modal GPT-4 Turbo with Vision coming soon

► Google Bard for teens

► Meta predicts a decade of litigation to settle AI copyright questions

► Rumor has it ChatGPT is remembering more . . .

News You Can Use:

➭ OpenAI Job Alert! Associate General Counsel, Regulatory

➭ “Hallucinate” is the Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year 

➭ Lawsuit: Health Insurer's AI Tool 'Illegally' Denies Claims

➭ AI helps defense attorneys sift through police body cam videos

➭ Raymon Sun's AI regulation tracker can now compare AI laws/policies between two regions/countries

➭ Two-thirds of legal professionals in favor of the regulation of AI in international arbitration, survey says

➭ Brandeis Law professor developing generative AI toolkit to aid legal writing instruction

➭ These lawyers used ChatGPT to save time. They got fired and fined. (a few stories but you Brainyacts reader know better!)

➭ General counsel should focus on four areas when creating generative AI policy: Gartner report

➭ Be My Eyes AI offers GPT-4-powered support for blind Microsoft customers

➭ Google Maps gets a massive AI upgrade with 5 new features

➭ Airbnb acquires secretive firm launched by Siri co-founder

➭ The head of the FTC says she used ChatGPT to successfully contest a medical bill

➭ OpenAI explores how to get ChatGPT into classrooms

➭ This Axios-Generation Lab-Syracuse University AI Experts Survey

Who is the author, Josh Kubicki?

Some of you know me. Others do not. Here is a short intro. I am a lawyer, entrepreneur, and teacher. I have transformed legal practices and built multi-million dollar businesses. Not a theorist, I am an applied researcher and former Chief Strategy Officer, recognized by Fast Company and Bloomberg Law for my unique work. Through this newsletter, I offer you pragmatic insights into leveraging AI to inform and improve your daily life in legal services.