[Ed Note: We were holding off on publishing this episode because we were waiting on the official announcement that Kara Peterson and Rich DiBona of Descrybe.ai were the Silver Anthem Award winners in Best Use of AI from the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences! Congratulations to Kara and Rich for the prestigious award! - GL]
In this episode of "The Geek in Review," we welcome Kara Peterson and Richard DiBona, the dynamic married duo behind Descrybe.ai. Descrybe is an AI-powered legal tool aimed at democratizing access to legal information, particularly by providing summarized legal decisions that make case law more accessible to everyone. The conversation centers around how Descrybe was created, its mission, and the challenges and opportunities involved in developing a legal tech tool that truly serves its users.
Kara and Rich share the story of how Descrybe began as a personal project sparked by a challenging legal issue they faced themselves. Rich, a software engineer, started experimenting with AI summarization of judicial opinions and was struck by how well it worked. Over time, this experiment evolved into Descrybe—a platform that not only delivers quick case law summaries but also enhances accessibility through simplified language and multilingual support. They delve into the technical challenges of managing massive datasets of judicial opinions and ensuring that their platform remains accurate and reliable.
The development of Descrybe has been heavily influenced by user feedback, which Kara and Rich emphasize throughout the episode. They explain how advisory feedback has been instrumental in shaping key features, such as Spanish translations and simplified summaries, which make the platform more accessible to non-native English speakers and those with varying levels of reading proficiency. Their genuine commitment to evolving the product based on user needs is a core aspect of Descrybe's mission to democratize legal information.
A particularly intriguing segment of the episode focuses on Rich's perspective on the legal tech market and his skepticism regarding companies that label their offerings as "LLMs" (large language models) without meeting the threshold of a true LLM. Kara adds her insights on the broader mission of Descrybe: not only to innovate within legal tech but also to address access to justice as a public health issue. They both underscore the importance of responsible AI development, ensuring that new technology genuinely benefits society rather than exacerbating existing inequalities.
Towards the end of the episode, Kara and Rich discuss the future of AI in the legal industry and the role Descrybe aims to play. They express optimism that AI can be a powerful force for improving the legal system, especially if it is used to automate lower-level tasks and free up lawyers to focus on more impactful work. They also highlight the potential for AI to facilitate alternative dispute resolutions, diverting some cases from the courts altogether. Kara concludes on a hopeful note, emphasizing that if the right choices are made now, AI could be a driving force for positive systemic change within the legal field.
This conversation with Kara Peterson and Richard DiBona offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at building Descrybe—a legal tech solution driven by a mission to improve access to justice. Their commitment to making complex legal information understandable for everyone shines through, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, law, and social good.
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Twitter: @gebauerm, or @glambert
Email: geekinreviewpodcast@gmail.com
Music: Jerry David DeCicca
TRANSCRIPT
The Geek In Review