Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become one of those buzzwords that seem to be everywhere and yet nowhere at once. It’s in your feed, your inbox, your music playlist — and still, many people feel like they don’t really understand it.
As a lawyer diving deeper into the world of law and technology, I’ve noticed something: the conversation around AI often feels too abstract, too complex, or just too far removed from reality. But what if we pressed pause, took a breath, and simply went back to the basics?
Let’s do just that.
So, What is Artificial Intelligence?
At its core, Artificial Intelligence refers to machines doing things that would normally require human intelligence. That’s it.
These are tasks like understanding language, recognizing patterns, solving problems, or making decisions.
And AI isn’t just in science fiction or some lab far away. It’s in the spam filter that blocks annoying emails, the Netflix algorithm that recommends your next binge, and the voice assistant that tells you the weather.
AI doesn’t always look like a robot. Sometimes, it just looks like your phone being smart.
The Core Ingredients: Data + Algorithms
To understand how AI works, you need to know two key terms: data and algorithms.
- Data is simply information. Lots of it. It could be photos, text messages, voice notes, or anything else that a system can learn from.
- Algorithms are like recipes. They tell machines what to do with that data — how to learn from it and make decisions.
When you mix the right data with the right algorithms, you get Machine Learning, a powerful form of AI that allows systems to improve over time without being manually updated.
There’s often confusion between AI, automation, and algorithms.
- Automation is about machines doing repetitive tasks (like a conveyor belt or an automatic reply).
- Algorithms are instructions (used in both AI and automation).
- AI is when machines make decisions or learn based on data.
All three may overlap, but they aren’t the same.
Why Should Lawyers Care?
AI is not just a tech issue. It’s a human issue — with legal, ethical, and social consequences.
AI systems are already shaping how decisions are made in criminal justice, employment, banking, healthcare, and more. But here’s the challenge: the law hasn’t fully caught up.
Questions about bias, fairness, privacy, liability, and accountability are not just for engineers to answer — they’re for lawyers, ethicists, and policymakers too.
That’s where we come in.
There’s a myth that you need to code to talk about AI. You don’t. What you need is curiosity, clarity, and the willingness to learn.
As legally trained minds, we’re uniquely positioned to:
- Ask tough questions
- Translate complex ideas into policy and regulation
- Ensure AI systems are used responsibly and equitably
So instead of sitting on the sidelines, we must get involved.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
The world doesn’t need more intimidating jargon. It needs more people who can break down complex topics and make them understandable.
That’s the journey I’m on — building bridges between law and technology, one simple conversation at a time.
If you’re a lawyer, policymaker, or just someone curious about the future, stay tuned. Because the more we understand AI, the more power we have to shape it for good.
Let’s keep learning — together.