“Equipped To Lead From Day One”: How AI Is Changing Training Strategies

Daniel Block, director in Sterne Kessler’s Electronics Practice, spoke to Managing IP on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the firm’s practices and its impact on training and billing. Block leads the firm’s AI initiatives, including Sterne Kessler Labs where he leads the firm’s in-house software development of AI tools.

Block states, “In the IP space, AI has already proven valuable for prior-art searching, claim strength analysis, patent application drafting, license agreement drafting, and a range of litigation tasks.”

Block spoke to the changes AI has brought to client billing stating, “We’re already seeing movement toward fixed fees and other alternative fee arrangements as a way for both firms and clients to capture the potential cost savings AI enables. Clients are certainly asking about discounts, and will continue to, but we don’t think the technology is mature enough yet to justify them, at least for IP work.”

He continued, “In fact, in the short run, as is often the case with new technologies, we are seeing added costs given the need to train professionals on AI use, refining procedures to integrate AI, added explanation and consulting with clients on how AI is being used, and current shortcomings in AI tools.”