Virtual lawyer built for Amazon’s Alexa

An Australian-based legal technology company has created a prototype virtual lawyer, built using Amazon’s Alexa platform, as a test for whether lawyers will eventually be replaced by robots.

Jerome Doraisamy • 16 January 2019 • NewLaw

Smarter Drafter, located in Sydney, has developed what it is calling the “world’s first virtual lawyer for Amazon’s Alexa”, which creates legal documents instantly, in the same way a human lawyer would do.

You’re out of free articles for this month

Username or Email

Password Forgot password?

Keep me signed in on this device.

First Name

Last Name

Mobile

Organisation Type

By becoming a member, I agree to receive information and promotional messages from Lawyers Weekly. I can opt out of these communications at any time. For more information, please visit our Privacy Statement.

Need help signing up? Visit the Help Centre.

The Alexa Skill, as it has been dubbed, operates by asking questions that a real lawyer would and then drafting a legal document that considers the context, facts, jurisdiction and best practice.

It then takes a few minutes, Smarter Drafter explained, for the interview to take place and the legal documents to appear by email in one’s inbox.

Smarter Drafter CEO Adam Long said this virtual lawyer can test whether or not human lawyers will be at risk of being replaced by such robots.

“We mapped the decision-making processes of expert lawyers in excruciating detail to create a tool that would perform at the level of a human lawyer,” he said.

VIEW ALL

The prototype is powered by Smarter Drafter’s “unique” artificial intelligence, he explained, called Real Human Reasoning.

“Lawyers already delegate legal drafting to other experts – now they can give those same instructions to software and have the job done in moments, without any human errors. Here, we’re testing whether we can put the same power in the hands of the document’s end-user,” he continued.

And while no firm date has been set for the release of the first working Alexa integration, Mr Long is “optimistic” about its prospects.

“We’re only months away from a voice assistant for businesses and homes that will create any legal document you need,” he said.

We're evolving — and so should your insights. Heads up — Lawyers Weekly is going premium from 1 May for just $5 a month. Stay informed without missing a beat. More information coming soon.

Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.

You can email Jerome at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member for free today!

Lawyers Weekly - legal news for Australian lawyers

SECTIONS

MORE

Virtual lawyer built for Amazon’s Alexa

Jerome Doraisamy

OUR PLATFORMS AND BRANDS

EVENTS AND SUMMITS

PODCASTS

LEARNING AND EDUCATION

MOMENTUM MARKETS NETWORK

LINKS

STAY CONNECTED