Peer to Peer Magazine

P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 8 39 1. "billing rate" - i.e. get me a billing rate 2. "standard" - i.e. which type of rate to return, and 3. "[colleague's name]" - the individual who's rate I want In the above example, once recognition is complete, the bot can search the firm's financial system to return the corresponding rate. Request Processing Request processing is where the knowledgebot connects to the data and workflows that provide the answers and actions to the seeker. It does so by passing information from the NLP AI to some service (referred to as a "webhook" or "fulfillment service"), which then queries databases, calls other services, or initiates workflows as needed. This service also determines the response, which is sent back to the NLP AI (Alexa, DialogFlow, Cortana, etc.) which in turn responds to the seeker. Speech Synthesis In order for the seeker to hear the knowledgebot's reply, the text response needs to be converted to an audio signal that can be played back through the seeker's device or browser. This process is called speech synthesis. Speech synthesis may be handled in hardware on a phone or AI assistant device, in a browser, or via a web service such as Amazon's Polly which returns an audio file containing the spoken equivalent of a text string. In any case, there are several benefits to returning answers as speech, including: • It allows hands-free interactions, as when a professional is en route to a client meeting • It's more efficient for short prompts and replies, and • We humans are "wired" for speech Conclusion NLP AI and supporting technologies have advanced to the point where it is both feasible and practical for firms to develop knowledgebots that allow attorneys, staff, and clients to access information and workflows in a fraction of the time possible through intranets and extranets, providing greater efficiencies and mobility for all. A secondary benefit of knowledgebots is a deeper understanding of the information and process flows within the firm, which can inform ongoing improvements in legal operations. ILTA Mark Gerow has been involved in all aspects of business application development during his career; ranging from AI, business process automation and workflow, database design and implementation, business analysis, project methodologies and management, collaboration, and business intelligence. He has been a software engineer, consultant, and entrepreneur; he now directs application development and business process automation for Fenwick & West LLP. In addition Mark has published two books and numerous articles on AI, process automation, collaborative applications design, software engineering and project management. T H E R E ' S M O R E O N L I N E ! Interested in learning more about process flow and knowledgebots? Wonder if they "Dream of electric sheep?" Listen to this article's podcast online! iltanet.org/knowledgebot

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