Reed Smith Names AI Chief, Plans for Faster Deals and IP Work; Bloomberg Law, May 15, 2024

 Roy Strom, Bloomberg Law; Reed Smith Names AI Chief, Plans for Faster Deals and IP Work

"Richard Robbins is about a week into his role as Reed Smith’s first director of applied artificial intelligence, but—in a sign of how quickly the area is developing—there’s already a lot on his plate.

The law firm is working on at least eight generative artificial intelligence projects, ranging from testing new products to developing AI-fueled workflows for entire practice areas. Robbins, who joined the firm from legal tech company Epiq, will help usher those projects from the test phase to broader rollouts.

“It has been everybody’s part-time work, but we knew that this is so serious,” David Cunningham, Reed Smith’s chief innovation officer, said in an interview. “Just like we have heads of our data insights, our product design team, and our lab, we really needed to have an equal if not greater focus on how we apply AI and data science to the firm."

Law firms have been trying to develop strategies for how to invest in AI and where to deploy it to make their work more efficient."

Michael Wade and Tomoko Yokoi, Harvard Business Review (HBR); How to Implement AI — Responsibly

"Regrettably, our research suggests that such proactive measures are the exception rather than the rule. While AI ethics is high on the agenda for many organizations, translating AI principles into practices and behaviors is proving easier said than done. However, with stiff financial penalties at stake for noncompliance, there’s little time to waste. What should leaders do to double-down on their responsible AI initiatives?

To find answers, we engaged with organizations across a variety of industries, each at a different stage of implementing responsible AI. While data engineers and data scientists typically take on most responsibility from conception to production of AI development lifecycles, nontechnical leaders can play a key role in ensuring the integration of responsible AI. We identified four key moves — translate, integrate, calibrate and proliferate — that leaders can make to ensure that responsible AI practices are fully integrated into broader operational standards."

Walk-through of Portland State University’s library after three-night occupation reveals damage: ‘It’s ugly’; The Oregonian, May 2, 2024

 Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian; Walk-through of Portland State University’s library after three-night occupation reveals damage: ‘It’s ugly’

"By midday, Cudd, the university president, said she was grateful for the support of the mayor, police chief and district attorney to return the library to the school’s control but decried the extensive damage.

“We must take care of all of our students and provide a safe learning environment,” she said. “It is tragic that some of our students, along with others from outside, have so badly damaged our library and taken away that essential learning space. You know, as a philosophy professor and the daughter of librarians, that space is really a sacred space. And I’m really so sad to see what has happened to them.”

Cudd said she also had received reports from campus security and staff of potential thefts of rare archival material, including its full Dark Horse Comics collection."