In today’s Brainyacts:

1. AI & Mental Health

2. How the leading tools protect your data (or don’t)

3. Microsoft’s “small AI” and other AI model news

4. Florida releases GenAI guidelines and other related content

👋 to new subscribers!

To read previous editions, click here.

Lead Memo

👩‍⚖️🧑🏻‍⚖️👨🏾‍⚖️ CA Bar Hears About GenAI Impact on Mental Health

Alleviating Cognitive Load in Legal Practice through Generative AI: The Role of Task Switching and Flow State Management

During my recent talk with the California State Bar Board, I had the opportunity to present a novel perspective on generative AI in the legal sector. This was my second meeting with them, and I aimed to shift the focus from common concerns about AI, such as hallucinations and job displacement, to its potential benefits for mental health and cognitive performance in the legal profession.

In the legal field, where the demands are high and the stakes even higher, managing cognitive load is not just a matter of efficiency; it's a prerequisite for mental well-being. Cognitive load theory is about the limitations of our working memory in handling cognitive tasks. For lawyers, this translates into a balancing act between exerting mental energy and finding time to replenish it. Often, legal professionals endure persistent cognitive stress, leading to moodiness, inefficiency, unhealthy coping habits, and taking necessary breaks. They could take more breaks but that is challenging given their hectic schedules and dominant revenue model (billing their time). Adding to these realities and compounding things further is the fact that many also face task tasks outside their primary legal expertise, such as marketing, business operations, and administrative responsibilities. All of this adds to the cognitive burden.

Here's where conversational AI can make a substantial difference. By offloading routine tasks and organizing thoughts and to-do lists, these tools significantly reduce the extraneous cognitive load. This allows lawyers to channel their mental resources into deep thinking and critical legal analysis, thereby improving cognitive efficiency.

A vital aspect of managing cognitive load is understanding and mitigating "switching costs" in task management. These costs are the mental and temporal resources expended during task transitions, such as interruptions that disrupt a lawyer's flow state – a state of deep immersion in a task. Preserving this state is crucial for peak productivity and job satisfaction.

Generative AI is instrumental in this context, not only for delegating tasks but also for aiding lawyers in re-entering the flow state post-interruption. Conversational AI can help refocus, provide summaries of paused tasks, and guide the mind back to the primary task, thus reducing cognitive strain and time lost in transitions.

The implications of this technology for the legal profession are profound. But not in the ways most people are talking about.

So let me illustrate a bit - here are practical examples of how lawyers can integrate conversational AI like ChatGPT into their daily routines for better cognitive load management and improved efficiency - I use these all the time:

1. Morning Walk-and-Talk Sessions: Start the day with a mobile AI companion, using it as a virtual administrative assistant or peer. Engaging in a speech-to-text conversation while walking not only helps in planning the day but also leverages the cognitive benefits of physical activity.

2. AI-Assisted Email Management: Tools like Gmail Bard or Microsoft's Copilot Pro, embedded in email platforms, can efficiently handle email traffic. They draft responses, summarize threads, and prioritize emails, freeing up mental space for more demanding legal work.

3. Driving Conversations with ChatGPT: Turn driving time into a productive brainstorming session. Discuss ideas, negotiation strategies, or draft longer more detailed notes with ChatGPT, making the commute both productive and a cognitive easing activity.

4. Task Decomposition for Large Projects: Use AI to break down intimidating large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. This not only provides a clear action plan but also creates a sense of progress and reduces mental overload.

Spotlight

🛡️🧑‍💻 How the leading tools protect your data

This is too good not to share. I saw this on LinkedIn and am sharing the original article here. Make sure to check it out as it is a great resource.

From the article:
Tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are the obvious choice for using AI in the workplace. But what about data protection compliance?

We have taken a closer look at the most popular tools and summarized our findings. We also offer our internal tool for your use.

In the article, they provide clickable versions of the graphic below. They analyze Google and Microsoft too.

AI Model Notables

► Microsoft is building “small AI” - main article behind paywall so sharing this.

► ChatGPT maker OpenAI bans US presidential candidate bot

► Google introduces ‘Circle to Search,’ a new way to search from anywhere on Android using gestures

► Gmail's new AI feature will soon write entire emails for you

► Google adds AI to Android Auto to reduce driver distraction

► Elon Musk says the Grok 1.5 is coming soon

News You Can Use:

➭ Florida lawyers have new guidelines for using generative AI after the Board of Governors voted unanimously on January 19 to approve Ethics Advisory Opinion 24-1.

➭ An internal document leaked from Google unveiled the tech giant's key goal for 2024

➭ Sam Altman 'raising billions' for new chip venture

➭ UK releases Generative AI framework

➭ Japanese author admits she used ChatGPT to write award-winning novel

➭ United Arab Emirates creates AI council

➭ U.S. Senate hearing on AI in Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions

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.