Looking to the future, Heller predicts that genAI assistants will become ubiquitous, not just in the legal field but in all sectors. He believes that AI will democratize the kind of assistance currently only available to the wealthy, such as politicians and movie stars. He also suggests that robotics will eventually play a role in this process. The Casetext/Thomson Reuters deal is seen as part of this ongoing evolution of technology taking over tasks that humans would rather not do.
Key takeaways:
- Jake Heller, co-founder of Casetext, sold the business to Thomson Reuters for $650m in an all-cash deal, attributing the success to timing and the company's persistence in sticking with AI technology until it matured.
- Thomson Reuters plans to use the genAI assistant approach, pioneered by Casetext's AI assistant CoCounsel, across all its sectors.
- Heller believes that genAI assistants will become ubiquitous, assisting with everything from legal research to drafting documents, and eventually extending to physical tasks through robotics.
- The Casetext/Thomson Reuters deal is seen as part of the continuum of evolving technology taking over assistive roles, with Heller predicting a future where AI democratizes the luxury of personal assistance.