“I am a lawyer specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics.” This might sound like I’m an AI program capable of dispensing legal advice, but let me clarify. I am a human lawyer practicing in Silicon Valley, deeply engaged with the rapidly evolving legal landscape of artificial intelligence and robotics. My work involves structuring deals, defending clients’ rights, ensuring legal compliance, investigating incidents, and establishing governance frameworks for AI and robotics technologies for both developers and users.
People often ask me about my focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. Simply put, I believe there’s no more stimulating, intriguing, or fulfilling career path in law today than specializing in AI and robotics. As a lifelong science fiction enthusiast, I feel like I’m now practicing the “law of science fiction,” but that’s just scratching the surface of why I find this field so compelling. Let me elaborate on why I find this area so exciting, interesting, and ultimately, rewarding.
From Science Fiction Fan to AI Law Pioneer: My Journey
Like many in the tech field, my fascination with technology began early. Growing up, I was captivated by science fiction. Star Wars and Star Trek were more than just entertainment; they sparked my imagination about future possibilities. The robots and AI depicted in these stories seemed distant, almost fantastical. Yet, even then, I was intrigued by the potential legal questions these technologies might raise and dreamed of exploring the legal ramifications of these futuristic concepts. However, being pragmatic, I knew I needed to focus on a practical legal career first.
My legal journey began traditionally, but I’ve found myself reinventing my legal focus several times throughout my career. I started law school just as the personal computer era was taking off. I bought my first PC in the summer of 1985, preparing for my first year of law school. I had always found computers fascinating, having taught myself programming in high school. Initially, I thought my passion for computers would have to take a backseat to my legal career. Then, during my third year of law school, software copyright cases started gaining prominence. A lightbulb went off. I realized I could combine my legal aspirations with my tech interests and become a “computer lawyer.” My third-year paper focused on software copyright law, setting the stage for my first career pivot.
In my early years as a practicing attorney, I actively pursued “computer law.” I enjoyed PC gaming and even started writing a book on the legal aspects of computer games. Then, in the early 1990s, online services like AOL, CompuServe, Delphi, and Prodigy gained popularity. Around 1994, the Internet became accessible to the public. It started as a hobby. I explored all the online services and began absorbing the information shared on various internet platforms. My law firm started allowing us to use online bulletin boards for research. I even leveraged publicly available information I found online to successfully defend a client against trade secret misappropriation claims from a major corporation. The supposedly secret information was already publicly posted by the company’s own employees on an online bulletin board, effectively negating any trade secret protection.
This experience shifted my perspective. “Computer lawyer” felt too narrow. I realized I needed to become an “Internet lawyer.” Another reinvention was in order. I dedicated myself to pursuing a career in this nascent field. The timing of the Internet’s rise was transformative. Within a few years, from 1994 to 1997, the Internet went from a spare-time hobby to the foundation of my family’s livelihood. My career took a significant turn when I joined VeriSign, an internet security company, in 1997.
My role evolved into that of an “Internet security lawyer,” a specialization within the broader scope of Internet law. While I didn’t have deep expertise in data security initially, I had to learn quickly and adapt once again. Despite other opportunities in the burgeoning internet sector, I felt the VeriSign role was uniquely compelling. My focus became the company’s public key infrastructure (PKI) services, which involved issuing digital certificates to enable digital signatures and encryption for confidentiality. I became one of a select group of lawyers with in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory aspects of PKI and digital certificates. Even today, I continue to work in the PKI domain.
However, something was still missing. While information security was intellectually stimulating and challenging, it lacked a sense of deeper purpose or mission. It was an exciting field, but not a cause I felt passionately about.
Then, at the 2007 RSA Conference, another pivotal moment occurred. Futurist Ray Kurzweil, now at Google, delivered a keynote address based on his book, The Singularity is Near. He spoke about a future characterized by rapid and accelerating technological change, a future profoundly shaped by artificial intelligence and robotics. That moment was another “light bulb” experience. I realized I shouldn’t just be an “Internet security lawyer”; I should be an “AI and robotics lawyer.” I felt a strong calling to reinvent myself once more. I believed that AI and robotics were the “next big thing,” and that legal issues in this area would become increasingly important. I saw an opportunity to embark on a new career path at the very beginning of the AI revolution.
Starting in 2007, I proactively began building my expertise in AI and robotics law. I started leading continuing legal education programs for other lawyers, presented at industry conferences, and wrote articles and book chapters on the subject. Organically, and through my outreach efforts, client work in AI and robotics began to come my way. The transition to AI and robotics law took longer than my shift to Internet law – more than three years – reflecting the greater complexity of AI and robotics as engineering challenges. Nevertheless, I am confident that their impact will fundamentally reshape humanity.
Why Focus on Lawyer Artificial Intelligence?
So, why dedicate my career to AI and robotics law? Firstly, practicing in this field is, in many ways, a dream realized. Many of the concepts I encountered in science fiction as a student are becoming reality today. By specializing in this area now, I’m fulfilling that early vision of working with the future technologies I once only read about. I genuinely feel like I am practicing “science fiction law,” but it’s even more rewarding because it’s grounded in real-world applications and not just speculation.
Secondly, AI and robotics law is intellectually more stimulating and challenging than any other field I can imagine. The technology itself is constantly evolving at a breakneck pace. Staying current requires continuous learning and reading to keep abreast of industry trends and technological advancements. I need to constantly expand my understanding of the technology and how businesses are leveraging AI and robotics, both successfully and when things go wrong. This constant intellectual stimulation keeps me engaged, sharp, and always learning.
Thirdly, AI and robotics are already having a profound impact on humanity, and we are still in the very early stages of their development. Visionaries like Bill Gates and Elon Musk have voiced concerns about the potential risks AI and robotics pose to humanity. Conversely, thinkers like Jerry Kaplan argue that the more immediate danger of AI and robots lies in their current incompetence rather than any malevolent intent. Shannon Vallor emphasizes the critical responsibility we all share in ensuring that AI systems are aligned with our ethical values and societal norms.
Finally, I see AI and robotics as a cause, not just a career. Kai-Fu Lee’s 2018 book, AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, deeply resonated with me. For those unfamiliar with him, Lee is a highly influential figure in the Chinese technology world, often described as a “rock star.” A former executive at Google, Microsoft, and Apple, Lee emigrated from Taiwan and received his advanced education in the United States, including a computer science Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. He is now a successful venture capitalist in China, nurturing new tech businesses, and is widely regarded as a leading technology expert. In a January 2019 episode of 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley interviewed Lee about AI. During this segment, Lee underscored the immense importance of artificial intelligence. When emphasizing its significance, Lee made a powerful statement to Pelley about artificial intelligence:
