With a history spanning over two decades, DiliTrust has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to provide innovative corporate and legal solutions. Our steadfast commitment to innovation has enabled us to seamlessly adapt to the ever-evolving tech landscape. Recognizing the transformative potential of AI ahead of the curve, our Machine Learning team, expanded by the acquisition of Hyperlex, embarked on a visionary journey. This forward-thinking approach has firmly established DiliTrust as a pioneer in AI, solidifying our position as industry leaders in the LegalTech sector.
With this article, we aim to commemorate the past decade by sharing our AI-journey from the very beginning, highlighting the gradual evolution and the tangible impact experienced by our clients. The contributions of Alexandre Grux (Head of Product), Romain Vial (Head of Machine Learning), and Ahmed Touila (Lead Machine Learning Research) were vital in telling our story. Together, they provide a genuine portrayal of our distinctive journey in the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
Our Early Commitment to Innovation and AI Pioneering
In the fast-paced world of technology, we’ve not just kept up but have also solidified our position as a leader in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Our journey, marked by a strong focus on innovation, various stages of growth, and notable achievements over the years, stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
DiliTrust’s leap into the realm of AI was a strategic move, not just a mere integration into existing systems. The Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution, a cornerstone of the DiliTrust Governance suite, was initially designed with AI at its core, leading the way for a groundbreaking approach. In a time when pre-packaged solutions like ChatGPT were scarce, we chose the path of innovation by creating our AI technology from scratch.
“Our commitment to AI wasn’t just a technological leap but a strategic move. The integration of AI into our solutions was born out of a vision to assist legal experts in focusing on tasks that truly demanded their attention, liberating them from tedious, time-consuming activities. This early adoption positioned DiliTrust as a leader, setting the stage for AI to become an integral part of the LegalTech landscape.” – Ahmed Touila, Lead Machine Learning Research Engineer
Phases of Development: Navigating Evolution
The journey of AI development at DiliTrust advanced through different stages, closely tied to the datasets at hand and the progress in AI technology. As Ahmed explains, “the evolution was influenced by both the amount of data available and the advancements in AI methodologies”.
In the initial phases, the scarcity of extensive datasets posed a challenge, prompting us to explore traditional natural language processing methods. Our focus on techniques that were not heavily dependent on large datasets laid the groundwork for our AI journey, ensuring flexibility in addressing the constraints of clients with smaller contract bases.
In 2017, as our data volume significantly increased, we ventured into more advanced approaches, particularly embracing the use of recurrent neural networks. This pivotal year brought about significant breakthroughs, especially with the introduction of language models, setting the stage for the large language models we use today.
Internally, we have gone through significant transformations alongside external technological advancements. We adopted a unified modelization process, moving away from the use of specific datasets and models for each task. This internal evolution took a ‘question answering’ approach, similar to ChatGPT but with a more focused approach. This innovative methodology involves condensing all queries into a universal question, simplifying and harmonizing the various tasks at hand.
This “question answering” approach brings together all our AI efforts. Expanding on this idea, we developed our own Language Modelization (LLM), showcasing our dedication to innovation.
With the advent of technological and hardware advancements, we seized the opportunity to enhance our AI capabilities. The feasibility of incorporating larger language models was made possible by the progress in GPU technology, making computations more accessible and scalable.
On the product side, we began our AI journey in 2017 by introducing the industry’s first AI-focused contract management solution, driving continuous technological advancements. This journey reached a significant milestone in 2023 with the introduction of generative AI capabilities, making a lasting impact on board portals.
Throughout our journey, our dedication to innovation has resulted in concrete advantages for our clients.
“In our Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) module, 80% of data fields are filled by AI suggestions. This statistic is a testament to the successful integration and utilization of AI in our clients’ daily operations, showcasing not just adoption but reliance on AI for standard field suggestions.” – Alexandre Grux, Chief Product Officer
Current State of AI: Navigating the Present, Envisioning the Future
In 2024, DiliTrust stays at the forefront of AI technology. Our Contract Management solution is continually improved with new features to assist legal departments, human resources, purchasing, finance, and other departments in their daily tasks. But that’s not all: we’re thrilled to introduce new AI capabilities for our Board Portal and Legal Entity Management solutions.
Alexandre Grux affirms: “Our timing is perfectly in line with market trends. This strategic positioning allows us to bridge the gap and present authentic and in-depth business cases that are seamlessly integrated into the daily user journey”.
DiliTrust’s journey with AI stands out in various ways:
- Pioneering AI capabilities: We take pride in leading the way in introducing AI capabilities, especially within board portals. Being trailblazers in incorporating AI into board portals is not only a significant achievement but also sets us apart in the market.
- Sovereign Generative AI: One of our key strengths is our unique approach to generative AI. Unlike many others who rely on platforms like ChatGPT, we have purposefully developed our sovereign generative AI. This strategic choice highlights our commitment to independence and tailoring our generative AI for specific needs.
- Years of experience and data: Leveraging our extensive insights and years of experience, DiliTrust’s distinctiveness also stems from our wealth of data in AI for legal tech. Our journey with various AI technologies uniquely positions us to overcome challenges and enhance our AI solutions. With a wealth of data gathered over time, our specialized AI provides more precise answers and impactful results. This extensive experience and knowledge showcase our commitment to excellence and continuous growth, setting us apart in the industry.
Along our journey, we faced obstacles and gained valuable insights. It’s noteworthy to see that most of the legal community has confidently embraced AI, leading to its advancements. Although there was initial hesitation towards cloud technology, we now tackle the challenge of assuring users about the safety and benefits of generative AI. Our focus is on convincing clients that adopting AI is not only essential but a strategic decision to stay competitive in a changing environment.
Nurturing AI Expertise at DiliTrust
DiliTrust’s expertise in AI is a result of three key commitments.
1 – Dedicated R&D Team and Infrastructure Investment:
“At the heart of DiliTrust’s AI prowess is a dedicated Research and Development (R&D) team focused on machine learning” – Ahmed Touila, Lead Machine Learning Research
Our team is always exploring the latest research papers, emerging algorithms, techniques, and architectures to improve our approaches and models. We have allocated a dedicated R&D budget for computational resources and infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of this investment. This commitment not only allows us to experiment with cutting-edge methods but also enables us to conduct applied research to advance AI in legal contexts. Looking ahead to 2024, DiliTrust is thrilled to contribute an open-source dataset to the public research domain, promoting collaboration and innovation within the legal community.
2 – Close Integration of R&D with Product Development:
A key force driving our progress is the seamless integration between our R&D team and the product development process. This close collaboration allows for a quick transition from research findings to practical implementations in our products. In contrast to lengthy timelines, DiliTrust demonstrates an agile and responsive approach to technology development, swiftly moving from a research paper to a production-ready model within one or two quarters.
“Unlike a prolonged timeline, DiliTrust can efficiently move from a research paper to a production-ready model within one or two quarters, showcasing a nimble and responsive approach to technology development.” – Romain Vial, Head of Machine Learning, DiliTrust
3 – Investing in a High-Quality AI Team:
“DiliTrust’s commitment to excellence is evident through its investment in a dedicated and highly skilled AI team.“ – Alexandre Grux, Head of Product at DiliTrust
This skilled team works closely with the product development process, using their expertise to seamlessly translate AI advancements into practical solutions for clients. Their high quality and deep knowledge provide clients with confidence and the ability to navigate the complexities of generative AI. DiliTrust places a strong emphasis on responsible AI development, in line with their commitment to upholding client trust and security in the ever-changing legal technology landscape.
DiliTrust’s Vision for AI in 2024 and Beyond
As we stand at the crossroads of technological innovation, our vision for the future extends beyond the current state of AI. Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, we are fully committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation, exploring new horizons, and shaping the next wave of AI advancements.
In the coming years, we anticipate a significant shift in the integration of AI across various industries. Our roadmap not only focuses on enhancing existing AI capabilities but also delves into cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented reality. Alexandre emphasizes that the true impact of AI lies in its seamless integration into everyday tools. We strive to lead this integration, offering clients a range of solutions enriched by AI technologies.
Exciting developments are on the horizon with the upcoming release of generative AI-based features, including a chatbot, which will revolutionize user interactions across all modules at DiliTrust. The generative AI’s capability to streamline legal paperwork while maintaining a seamless human-machine interaction marks a significant advancement in integrating AI into daily legal processes. This not only represents a technological leap but also a strategic initiative to empower legal professionals in their daily responsibilities.
At DiliTrust, our dedication to innovation is deeply embedded in our client-centric approach. We are not only focused on pushing the boundaries of AI within our ecosystem but also committed to fostering collaboration within the AI community.
In summary, our ongoing journey showcases a steadfast commitment to AI innovation, with a positive impact on customers paving the way for future advancements. DiliTrust’s forward-thinking approach extends beyond Contract Management, with a pledge to seamlessly incorporate AI into its suite: DiliTrust Governance. As we anticipate market demands, the future holds the promise of AI seamlessly integrated into our clients’ daily operations, providing solutions that empower professionals to navigate complexities with confidence.
Allow us to provide you with an exclusive, in-depth glimpse into how our cutting-edge solutions can seamlessly integrate AI into your operations, driving tangible success for your organization. Request a personalized demo of our comprehensive suite to witness firsthand the transformative power of DiliTrust. Our team of experts stands ready to guide you through the innovative ways in which we are revolutionizing the landscape of AI and LegalTech, opening up endless possibilities for your business.
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