Auth. note: While it was certainly tempting, no artificial intelligence technology was used to create this post. Any em dashes that appear were added by the author – just as nature intended.
Welcome to the rest of the Legal Technology Dictionary to English (2022). This edition updates a holdover from the pre-AI world to share all the AI and practice management terminology you need to be more fun at parties.
Here we are happy to share Chapter 3. Check out the first part here and feel free to pre-register for the full eBook using the form below.
Historical concepts still valid today
While many might believe that AI wasn’t really introduced until ChatGPT hit the zeitgeist in 2023, artificial intelligence (broadly defined) has its own history, dating back almost a century.
In fact, the birth of artificial intelligence took place in the mid-1940s. That’s right, AI – perhaps ironically – is part of the silent generation, when the concept of “neural networks” was first formulated by scientists.
In this section, we’ll cover some fundamental AI terms that are always useful to know.
machine learning n. 1. an application of artificial intelligence that enables the launch and maintenance of computer systems that use algorithms to analyze data and make predictions.
Related words
artificial intelligence, data training, models, output, unsupervised learning, loss function, overfitting
Antonyms
human intelligence, wacky intrigues, wacky madness
Example passage
When my Tesla left the road in a roundabout and exploded in a fireball, it was an example of machine learning still learning.
neural networks n. 1. in artificial intelligence, a data processing and prediction engine, in which nodes replace the neurons of the human brain, in order to reproduce natural thinking. 2. the model by which, you know, the human brain processes data input.
Etymology
Neural networks in computing were first proposed in 1944 by Warren McCollough and Walter Pitts, then researchers at the University of Chicago. In 1957, psychologist Frank Rosenblatt of Cornell created the first trainable neural network, Perceptron – which I believe was also a microscope that could transform into a robot in the “Transformers” cartoon series.
Related words
neural network, semantic network, nervous system, intelligent recovery, Krang from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, MODOK from the Marvel universe, Mother Brain from the video game “Metroid”
Example sentence
Tech Bro 1: My neural network is more complex than Carole’s in accounting.
Tech Bro 2: Yooooooooo!!!!
natural language processing n. 1. a group of technologies that allows machines to understand, manipulate and generate human language and, through commonly used GPTs, tell you that you are doing amazing work in all areas. (Go for it !)
Related words
computational linguistics, speech processing, natural language interaction, human language technology
Example sentence
John Grinder: Who agrees with NLP?
Richard Bandler: Yeah, you know me!
Traitor: Wait, what?
Turing test n. 1. a process for determining whether a computer displays human-like intelligence by producing an output that would be indistinguishable from what a human would generate.
Etymology
This “imitation game”, developed by British mathematician Alan Turing in 1949, involves a human judge, who can submit written questions, attempting to correctly identify, between two texts, which was written by a human and which was written by a computer. If the human referee cannot reliably choose between the two, the machine passes the test and demonstrates human-like intelligence.
Related words
CAPTCHA (Reverse Turing Test), Marcus’ test, The Lovelace text, Theseus’ Ship, The Prisoner’s Dilemma, The trolley problem, The Ring of Gyges.
ELIZA program n. 1. the first chatbot
Etymology
ELIZA was developed by Joseph Weizenbaum, a computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1964 to 1967. Users could converse with ELIZA by typing on a keyboard and the program would respond. Although the program does not feature any artificial intelligence in itselfusers nevertheless felt emotional reactions to the “chatterbot”, even attributing human feelings to it. This interaction process became known as the “ELIZA effect.” Users now interact with GPTs in the same way.
Related words
Eliza DoolittlePARRY, ALICE
Example sentence
Human: Well, my boyfriend brought me here.
ELIZA: Did your boyfriend bring you here?
Human: He says I’m depressed most of the time.
ELIZA: I’m sorry to hear you’re depressed.
Human: That’s right. I am unhappy.
ELIZA: Do you think coming here will help you not be unhappy?
CosmoLex is proud to sponsor this edition of the Legal Tech-to-English Dictionary. As an end-to-end practice management platform designed specifically for small and mid-sized law firms, CosmoLex integrates AI directly into the workflows that lawyers rely on every day: summarizing documents, filtering cases and invoices in plain language, automating intake, and streamlining firm workflows. No separate tools to learn, no layers of AI dumped on top of an existing system. Convenient functionality built into the platform where work already happens, with the compliance guardrails that law firms actually need.
Pre-register for Legal Tech-to-English Dictionary — Version 2.0
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Jared Correiaconsultant and legal technology expert, is the host of “Adventures in Legal Tech,” the featured podcast of Above the Law’s Legal Tech Center..
