East Africa lawyers wary of artificial intelligence rise

It is an advanced technology which is not only unavoidable but has generally simplified work.

It has made things much easier by shortening time for research and reducing the needed manpower.

Yet artificial intelligence (AI) is still at crossroads; it can lead to massive job losses with the lawyers among those much worried.

“It is emerging as a serious threat to the legal profession,” said Mr David Sigano, CEO of the East African Lawyers Society (EALS).

The technology will be among the key issues to be discussed during the society’s annual conference kicking off in Bujumbura today.

He said time has come for lawyers to position themselves with the emerging technology and its risks to the legal profession.

“We need to be ready to compete with the robots and to operate with AI,” he told The Citizen before departing for Burundi.

Mr Sigano acknowledged the benefits of AI, saying like other modern technologies it can improve efficiency.

AI is intelligence inferred, perceived or synthesised and which is demonstrated by machines as opposed to intelligence displayed by humans.

AI applications include advanced web search, recommendation systems used by Youtube, Amazon and Netflix, self-driving cars, creative tools and automated decisions, among others.

However, the EALS boss expressed fears of job losses among the lawyers and their assistants through robots.

“How do you prevent massive job losses? How do you handle ethics?” Mr Sigano queried during an interview.

He cited an AI-powered Super Lawyer, a robot recently designed and developed by a Kenyan IT guru.

The tech solution, known as “Wakili”  (Kiswahili for lawyer) is now wreaking havoc in that country’s legal sector, replacing humans in determining cases.

“All you need to do is to access it on your mobile or computer browser; type in your question either in Swahili, English, Spanish, French or Italian and you have the answers coming to you,” Mr Sigano said.

‘Wakili’ is a Kenyan version of the well-known Chat GPT. Although it has been lauded on grounds that it will make the legal field grow, there are some reservations.

Mr Sigano said although the technology has its advantages, AI could either lead to job losses or be easily misused.

“We can leverage the benefits of AI because of speed, accuracy and affordability. We can utilise it, but we have to be wary of it,” he pointed out.

A prominent advocate in Arusha, Mr Frederick Musiba, said AI was no panacea to work efficiency, including for the lawyers.

It can not only lead to job losses to the lawyers but also increase the cost of legal practice through its access through the Internet.

“Lawyers will lose income as some litigants will switch to AI. Advocates will lose clients,” Mr Musiba told The Citizen when contacted for comment.

However, the managing partner and advocate with Fremax Attorneys said AI was yet to be fully embraced in Tanzania unlike in other countries.

Nevertheless, Mr Musiba said the technology has its advantages and disadvantages, cautioning people not to rush to the robots.

However, Mr Erik Kimaro, an advocate with Keystone Legal firm, also in Arusha, said AI was an emerging technological advancement that is not avoidable.

“Whether we like it or not, it is here with its advantages and disadvantages. But it has made things much easier,” he explained.

“I can’t say we have to avoid it but we have to be cautious,” he added, noting that besides leading to unemployment it reduces critical thinking of human beings.

Mr Aafez Jivraj, an Arusha resident and player in the tourism sector, said it will take time before Tanzania fully embraced AI technology but said he was worried of job losses.

“It is obvious that it can remove people from jobs. One robot can work for 20 people. How many members of their families will be at risk?” he queried.

AI has been a matter of debate across the world in recent years with the risk of job losses affecting nearly all professions besides the lawyers.

According to Deloitte, over 100,000 thousand jobs will be automated in the legal sector in the UK alone by 2025 with companies that fail to adopt AI are fated to be left behind.

On his part, an education expert in Arusha concurred, saying that modern technologies such as AI can lead to job losses.

The situation may worsen within the next few years or decades as some of the jobs will no longer need physical labour.

“AI has some benefits like other technologies but it is threatening jobs,” said Mr Yasir Patel, headmaster of St Constantine International School.

He added that the world was changing so fast that many of the jobs that were readily available until recently have been taken over by computers.

“Computer scientists did not exist in the past. Our young generation should be reminded. They think the job market is still intact,” he further pointed out.