Many of the early conversations around artificial intelligence have focused on whether this nascent technology is friend or foe. But as a lawyer whose passion is AI and technology, I find that dialogue to be quite complex.
As with all technologies, AI poses risks as well as rewards. Some of those are apparent to us now. Others will take years or even decades to unfold. But we’re already seeing ways that AI can enhance human creativity and innovation.
Consider Nashville’s iconic country music scene. Few experiences are as authentically human as live music and the connection between artist and audience. Artists here are understandably concerned about issues that include deepfakes and unauthorized use of their voices—concerns that are addressed in Tennessee’s groundbreaking “Elvis Act” that gives artist a legal right to protect their image, likeness, and voice from bad actors using AI. At the same time, many songwriters I’ve talked to have embraced AI as a collaborator that helped them get past writer’s block, spark new ideas, and unleash their creativity.
In addition to country music, Nashville has long been a national and global leader in Healthcare. The Healthcare industry is another area where AI poses both challenges and opportunities. I’m working with innovators on tools like AI-powered ambient listening systems that transcribe conversations and generate medical notes in real time and next generation systems that assist with diagnostics. These technologies have the potential to redefine the doctor-patient relationship and revolutionize healthcare. However, new AI tools also raise questions about patient’s health privacy, HIPAA concerns, algorithmic bias, liability, and the need to develop legal guardrails alongside AI medical advances.
Country music and healthcare are microcosms of the AI-based paradigm that Nashville is moving into as an innovation hub. As Oracle plants their global flag here to innovate in Healthcare, that tech leader recognizes the synergies of being in the Nashville community to innovate with healthcare leaders here. Around our community, we can see the data centers that power AI being built, new technology startups that leverage AI thriving, and the integration of AI into everyday life through initiatives in AI-driven solutions to improve traffic, construction, and various industries.
Yet the visible parts of AI are only a small part of what AI represents for our future. What’s clear to us now can sometimes obscure what is further off, or in some cases, right in front of us. Navigating AI requires sound governance—both at an enterprise level and at a national level. AI will change many industries and will create new science that even the brightest minds in AI cannot fully predict. Knowing the power of where AI can lead us is extremely exciting but also frightening when we recognize its potential power.
My job as an AI and technology lawyer is to help companies strike the right balance between innovation and protection and to get new products to market quickly—safely and responsibly. Whether AI works for us or against us—whether it replaces us or amplifies us—is less a measure of the technology itself, and more a measure of the human frameworks we develop.
A.J. Bahou is Chair of Bradley’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Practice and an attorney who focuses on the intersection of law and technology. He is a trusted advisor to clients on innovation in healthcare and financial services regarding computer technologies, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, medical devices, computer hardware, software, and data privacy.
