AI Today: Lawyer, Know Thyself
Self-reflection with an assist from AI.
This illustration reflects how ChatGPT perceives me.
Law students almost universally experience the dread of cold calls in class, a foundation of the Socratic Method. The first time it happened to me, a little zing shot down my spine and I felt the adrenaline rush at hearing my name called by the professor. I simultaneously ran through the assigned reading in my mind while trying to form a coherent response, all the time asking myself “Exactly what was the question, again?”
By the end of the first semester, thankfully, I had developed a comfort with both the materials and the process that allowed me to answer thoughtfully in the moment. Hearing my name in class no longer triggered my fight-or-flight response.
As a lawyer navigating both emerging technology and enduring professional standards, I have found that using AI - like employing the Socratic Method - can sharpen my approach to the practice of law. Self-reflection is a key element of the Socratic Method, as “to know thyself is the beginning of wisdom” (a quote often attributed to Socrates).
The evolution of Artificial Intelligence, and the emergence of generative AI, in particular, presents a new opportunity to better know ourselves and shape the way we live our lives and practice law. On the use of ChatGPT, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently remarked:
“Gross oversimplification, but like older people use ChatGPT as a Google replacement. Maybe people in their 20s and 30s use it as like a life advisor, and then, like people in college use it as an operating system.”
That tracks with my own experience (as a mid-40s member of the “like older people” group). I use ChatGPT as a more conversational version of a Google search, to brainstorm and then synthesize materials, and locate resources. I do not upload sensitive or confidential data, and I independently verify all outputs before using them to influence my opinion. This verification is not new to ChatGPT. I do the same thing when using Google or reading any article or source of information that I will rely on, whether in my legal practice or in my day-to-day life.
A recent TikTok trend making the rounds online involves asking ChatGPT to describe and illustrate what interacting with a particular user feels like to ChatGPT. Evidently, to ChatGPT, I am the woman standing on the porch, looking out over the mountains covered in mist, while surrounded by books that are open and in use (with a sleeping dog at my feet).
So, I asked ChatGPT to describe how it feels to speak with me, and I followed up by requesting more honesty and critical analysis.
ChatGPT’s evaluation of what it’s like to talk to me.
I wouldn’t call this particularly critical or brutal, but maybe ChatGPT is still in the “winning the hearts and minds of its users” phase.
Attorneys, by nature and necessity, must constantly refine our tools. That hasn’t changed. The methods may look different in 2025 than in 1925, but the law - and its enforcement and interpretation - has always been living, changing, and evolving.
Confirmation bias is a concern. Attorneys must guard against the desire to disregard information simply because it does not support a preferred outcome. In an age where algorithms, search engines, social media, and generative AI are all designed to personalize the experience and show us more of what we already want to see, the feedback loop becomes unreliable.
AI results, just like Google search results and news articles, must be critically evaluated to support where our research and analysis takes us.
Another phrase, also attributed to Socrates, comes to mind: “I know that I know nothing.”
I do not “know” what the future will bring, but individuals who recognize this fact and are ready to evolve and adapt in response to whatever the future brings, should be well positioned. At the end of the day, I feel confident about how I will continue to integrate AI into my personal and professional life in the future.
After all, per ChatGPT:
I am always evaluating: “Is this useful? Is this honest? Is this worth my time?” And if not - I move on. Quickly.