Artificial Intelligence: How did we get here?
This blog series by Peter Impey, Consultant General Counsel at InTouch, looks at what AI is, how it’s evolving, and what it means for legal services. It outlines key developments and use cases, touches on risks, regulation and the SRA’s position, and explains InTouch’s practical, low-risk approach to bringing AI into everyday work in a law firm. You can find the full series and related articles on the InTouch blog.
Introducing new technology and functionality always brings a period of change and upheaval. I wanted to pause and reflect on how we got here, and go back to the basics of Artificial Intelligence. This series is my introduction to AI — to better understand what’s happening and why it matters.
Artificial Intelligence is very much in vogue: in the press, in the news, in your home, and probably already part of your daily life and even your legal work. AI hype is driving up stock markets and creating a boom in legal tech, with investors pouring in hundreds of millions.
Releasing new online AI functionality is undeniably exciting because it is such a powerful tool. InTouch is taking a responsible, low cost, low risk approach to deploying AI with a focus on:
Unlimited use
Generous free tier
High-quality outputs
Utility, speed, accuracy
Better outcomes for clients
Happier users
To properly understand the context of the present, it is vital to look at the long arc of history. This helps us determine the trajectory of the future. There are undeniable and irresistible forces of innovation and technological advance that are reshaping the ways people communicate and connect, work, solve problems and even think.
Resolving legal challenges, both big and small, local and international, requires humans to agree – or at least come to an agreement about a disagreement. New technologies are changing the ways we can achieve these outcomes, and consequently the possibilities for delivering legal services are expanding rapidly.
Did you know a version of ChatGPT has already passed the US bar exam?
In December 2022, GPT-3.5 scored below around 90% of human candidates. By March 2023, GPT-4 was scoring higher than roughly 90% of them. In just a few months, large language models (LLMs) went from struggling to outperforming most test-takers — and they’ve kept improving since.
By 2023, LLMs were already matching or beating human benchmarks in:
Reading comprehension
Language understanding
Predictive reasoning
Translation
What is the history and background of recent developments?
Artificial Intelligence, or “AI”, takes an increasingly sophisticated approach to handling text-based material. This capability is quickly accelerating to incredibly high levels. In the context of legal services, this represents huge threats and creates massive opportunities.
Read this series if you are unsure about the potential impacts and implications of this new technology on you and your law firm. I’ll give a high-level overview of the progress being made, look at some case studies for its use, and consider the impact on both firms and individuals.
Subject matter expertise and a deep understanding of the possible is crucial to navigating the new landscape of technology in legal services.
As early as 200BC humans were capable of creating and using sophisticated ‘computing’ technology. Over the past 70 years, significant advancements in AI, computing power, and networking have paved the way for the generative AI we see today.
200BC
200BC the Antikythera mechanism is an Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery. It is the oldest known example of an analogue computer. It could be used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses, decades in advance.
1948
In 1948 Alan Turing and David Champernowe created the Turochamp as part of their research into computer science. It was a simple algorithm to play Chess. Turing was a foundational force in computing. His hand-written rules beat beginners.
1996/7
Chess World Champion, Gary Kasparov firstly beat the IBM “expert system” machine, ‘Big Blue’ but in a rematch was beaten in New York City 3.5 to 2.5 in a six-game match.
2016
Lee Sedol lost over five matches in the game Go, playing Deepmind’s ‘Alpha Go’. Deepmind’s goal was to replace human intelligence. The founders set out to ‘imitate then outperform all human cognitive ability’.
2022
Open AI launched Chat GPT on 30 November 2022 as a ‘research preview’. Significant public attention and huge inflows of investment quickly followed.
What does it all mean?
The major advances since WWII in general computing were driven by improvements to microprocessor design and build quality, as well as software development. Considerable progress was made in the scientific community over the decades. However, AI technology has only recently entered the mainstream of public consciousness, and we are now seeing generative AI disrupt entire industries at scale.
ChatGPT, one of the fastest-adopted technologies ever, reached 100 million users within weeks of launching, showcasing its potential. By 2025, usage had reached 800 million active weekly users. And in October 2025, OpenAI raised $6.6bn USD as the most valuable private company in the world, with a valuation of $500bn USD.
Computers have revolutionised the fast completion of complex tasks, and algorithms are increasingly sophisticated and secretive. Generative AI is accelerating disruption across ‘white collar’ industries, including legal. Since its recent appearance it has been constantly improving, evolving rapidly and creating ripple effects across the professions. The argument runs that we are entering a new phase of human development as we experience the fourth industrial revolution.
Next in the series, we’ll take a look at what AI actually is and, in particular, what ‘Generative AI’ means.
This series of blogs about AI is written by Peter Impey, General Counsel for InTouch. If you’re exploring how to use AI in your firm, you can find the full series and related articles on the InTouch blog.
