Best of: The future of AI and the law

Show notes

These days, AI is everywhere, and it’s increasingly hard to separate the gains from the slop. With that in mind, we're re-releasing my conversation with Stanford Law [https://law.stanford.edu/daniel-e-ho/"]( professor Daniel Ho on the future of AI and the law. When we look for applications where AI can deliver measurable benefit, the legal profession stands out, both for its potential gains in efficiency and equity, and for how much is at stake if we get it wrong. Dan's research — from using AI to identify racist property covenants buried in county deed records, to mapping obsolete regulations that waste thousands of hours of government time — shows what's possible when the technology is applied with rigor and purpose. If you’re curious about how AI can serve both justice and good governance, this one is well worth another listen. _Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu._ **Episode Reference Links:** - Stanford Profile: [https://law.stanford.edu/daniel-e-ho/"]( Dan Ho **Connect With Us:** - Episode Transcripts >>>[https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/collection/future-everything-podcast"]( The Future of Everything Website - Connect with Russ >>>[https://www.threads.net/@russbaltman"]( Threads /[https://bsky.app/profile/rbaltman.bsky.social"]( Bluesky /[https://mastodon.social/@rbaltman"]( Mastodon - Connect with School of Engineering >>>[https://twitter.com/stanfordENG"]( Twitter/X /[https://www.instagram.com/stanfordeng/"]( Instagram /[https://www.linkedin.com/school/stanford-university-school-of-engineering/posts/?feedView=all&viewAsMember=true"]( LinkedIn /[https://www.facebook.com/stanford.engineering/"]( Facebook **Chapters:** (00:00:00) **Introduction** Russ Altman introduces guest Dan Ho, a professor of law, political science, and computer science at Stanford University. (00:02:19) **Path into Legal AI** How Ho’s background shaped his interest in law, and technology. (00:03:35) **What Lawyers Do** What makes law a complex domain for AI. (00:05:28) **Legal Hallucinations** When AI performs well and when it fails. (00:07:52) **Searching Legal Records in California** How AI can help identify outdated, harmful, or legally important material. (00:10:28) **Scaling Redaction** How a model accelerated a process that overwhelmed county recorder offices. (00:13:04) **Legal Reform at Scale** How AI has supported legal reform by scanning massive bodies of law. (00:15:02) **STARA & The City of San Francisco** How AI was used to go through San Francisco’s code and clean up reporting. (00:20:53) **Outdated Obligations** How “regulatory sludge” takes the time & resources of the public service (00:25:02) **Open vs. Closed AI** The differences and associated risks of the different AI systems. (00:30:58) **Legal Chatbots** Why legal chatbots are promising but risky. (00:33:42) **Conclusion** **Connect With Us:** Episode Transcripts >>> [The">https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/collection/future-everything-podcast">The]( >> [Threads]( https://www.threads.net/@russbaltman">Threads / [Bluesky]( https://bsky.app/profile/rbaltman.bsky.social">Bluesky / [Mastodon]( https://mastodon.social/@rbaltman">Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>>[Twitter/X]( https://twitter.com/stanfordENG">Twitter/X / [Instagram]( https://www.instagram.com/stanfordeng/">Instagram / [LinkedIn]( https://www.linkedin.com/school/stanford-university-school-of-engineering/posts/?feedView=all&viewAsMember=true">LinkedIn / [Facebook]( https://www.facebook.com/stanford.engineering/">Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See [pcm.adswizz.com]( https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.