237 | 🌳 🌧️ AI is more important than the climate

In today’s Brainyacts:

1. AI skills for in-house teams

2. Deepfake pop quiz

3. Apple Intelligence is coming and other AI model news

4. CA’s AI Transparency law and more news you can use

   👋 to all subscribers!

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Lead Memo

🍳🧰 What in-house needs for AI skills

I’d like to share insights from a recent report by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Everlaw: GenAI and the Future of Corporate Legal Work – How Ready Are In-House Teams? 

Here are some excerpts:

This detailed survey outlines the key capabilities that in-house lawyers will need to thrive over the next five years. Below, I’ve taken those findings and turned them into an actionable roadmap, providing clear steps on how to develop each skill and measure progress. Take a look, and if you want more depth, I highly recommend exploring the full report.

AI Literacy:

Understand the foundation of AI to leverage its potential.

• How to develop it: Start by learning the basics of machine learning, NLP, and AI ethics through online courses or webinars. Break down AI concepts in a legal context to see how they apply.

• How to measure it: Apply your AI knowledge by evaluating at least one AI tool and discussing its capabilities and limitations with your team.

Data Analysis: Unlock insights from legal data to drive smarter decisions.

• How to develop it: Practice analyzing contract data, litigation trends, or case outcomes to inform decision-making. Use basic tools like Excel or more advanced software like Power BI or Tableau.

• How to measure it: Present a data-driven report on legal trends or performance to stakeholders, using visuals to back your findings.

AI Tool Proficiency: Master the AI tools transforming legal work.

• How to develop it: Experiment with AI-powered tools like contract review software (e.g., Kira or Luminance) or document summarization platforms. Get hands-on with tools for case law analysis and risk assessment.

• How to measure it: Track how much time AI saves you in specific tasks, such as document review, and demonstrate how AI improves accuracy or reduces workload.

Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving: Stay sharp—AI isn’t perfect, and neither is its output.

• How to develop it: Evaluate AI outputs critically. Look for patterns, inconsistencies, or potential biases in AI-generated content and compare them to traditional results.

• How to measure it: Document at least one instance where you identified a flaw or limitation in AI results, and offer a solution or alternative approach.

Ethical Decision-Making: Use AI responsibly—ethics and legal obligations still apply.

• How to develop it: Regularly review the ethical considerations of AI in your legal work, such as bias, privacy concerns, and transparency. Keep updated through ethics-based AI courses or industry panels.

• How to measure it: Incorporate an AI ethics review into your legal workflows. Track and document instances where ethical considerations affected your legal decisions.

Adaptability: Embrace change or risk being left behind.

• How to develop it: Actively pursue learning opportunities around new legal tech. Volunteer for projects involving AI or new technology adoption to build your adaptability muscle.

• How to measure it: Take note of how often you implement a new technology or process in your workflow, and assess how quickly you adapt to those changes.

Collaboration: Work together to build stronger AI-powered processes.

• How to develop it: Engage with cross-functional teams, including IT and operations, to integrate AI tools effectively. Understand their perspectives and communicate your legal insights clearly.

• How to measure it: Track the success of AI-driven projects you collaborated on by documenting results like improved efficiency, better decision-making, or reduced risk.

Communication: Make AI clear to those who aren’t technical.

• How to develop it: Practice explaining AI tools and their outputs to non-technical stakeholders in simple, relatable terms. Focus on benefits and risks, and align your messaging to business priorities.

• How to measure it: Deliver a presentation or write an internal memo that simplifies AI concepts for senior management or clients, and gather feedback on clarity and understanding.

Each of these skills can be developed through continuous learning, hands-on practice, and collaboration with others in your organization. By following these steps, you’ll not only stay ahead but also play a key role in shaping how AI is applied in the legal industry.

Spotlight

Did you spot the deepfake last week?

Did you spot this deepfake? It was all over social media last week given the floods in NC and elsewhere.

Dead giveaways it is AI-generated? Their jeans are not wet.

Trump’s right looks to have really long fingers.

Be careful out there!

AI Model Notables

► AI Wars: Anthropic responds to OpenAI's Canvas feature by dropping the "Try fixing with Claude" button for Claude's artifacts.

► OpenAI’s spree of licensing agreements is paying off already—at least in terms of getting publishers to lower their guard.

► Agility Robotics showed off a new factory it says is capable of producing 10,000 of its humanoid workplace robots a year. 

► Inflection AI (who lost much of its team earlier this year to Microsoft) has completed it pivot to focus on business use of AI. Ithas launched Inflection for Enterprise, an enterprise-grade AI system built for large businesses, offering full control, top-tier performance, and secure integration with existing infrastructures. In collaboration with Intel, it delivers 2x better price-performance, and a new API empowers developers to build advanced conversational AI applications.

► Apple Intelligence will arrive on the iPhone on Oct. 28.

► Google Lens now lets you search with video. You can use your voice to ask questions about what you’re seeing, too.

► Massive dataset of jailbreak prompts (how users circumvent AI model safeguards). Excellent resources to study countermeasures against this behavior.

► Vodafone has signed a 10-year deal with Google to bring Google’s AI into its new services, devices, and TV experiences for customers in Europe and Africa.

News You Can Use:

➭ California AI Bill 2013: California’s newly passed AI Transparency Law, AB 2013, mandates that developers of generative AI technologies disclose key information about the datasets used to train their AI models. This requirement applies to AI services available to California residents and must be publicly documented on the developer’s website by January 1, 2026.

The bill affects both original developers and those who substantially modify generative AI models released after January 1, 2022, which includes activities like retraining or fine-tuning that materially change the technology’s performance.

It will be interesting to see which AI companies comply . . .

➭ Northrop Grumman unveiled an AI-powered enhancement to its Forward Area Air Defense system, enabling rapid decision-making against drone swarms.

➭ A new law in California, passed unanimously by both legislative chambers, mandates AI literacy in school curricula.

➭ AI’s energy appetite too big for Texas grid, regulators warn.

➭ The International Bar Association (IBA) and the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) have launched a new report titled The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession.

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.