Today, let’s start with a topic that many people are concerned about: technological substitution. Specifically, the use of AI to replace lawyers.
At the beginning of this year, an event caused a stir in the legal community. Two brothers, Chris Sokolowski and Steve Sokolowski, fell victim to an investment fraud case in 2022, losing 90% of their life savings.
Obviously, they had to get their money back. So, they decided to sue. But after some inquiry, they found out that according to local regulations, they needed to pay an $800,000 deposit just to file the lawsuit. On top of that, legal fees were exorbitantly high, and they simply couldn’t afford them. What could they do?
The two brothers decided to try using AI as their lawyer. They developed a textbook-level AI strategy to handle the case.
Step 1: Using GPT-o1 to Collect Evidence and Draft the Lawsuit
Since both brothers had a background in coding, they initially determined that in terms of understanding case law and predicting defense strategies, GPT-o1 was more mature than Google’s Gemini. So, they chose GPT-o1 to gather evidence. They even wrote a Python script to generate relevant information entries. Without going into too much detail, using GPT-o1, they found nearly all the key evidence they needed.
Step 2: Using Gemini to Evaluate the Lawsuit
After organizing the evidence and drafting the lawsuit, they weren’t sure about its quality or whether the court would accept it. So, they moved to the next step: using Gemini to evaluate the lawsuit. Compared to GPT-o1, Gemini might not be as precise in terms of factual accuracy, but it excels at evaluating creative tasks without definitive answers.
It’s said that the two brothers interacted with Gemini about 100 times, refining their draft with AI feedback. Gemini pointed out parts that didn’t sound like they were written by a professional lawyer and helped adjust the wording for accuracy. Eventually, they finalized their lawsuit.
Step 3: Using AI to Simulate the Courtroom – Playing the “Blue Team”
Even after finalizing the lawsuit, they were still uneasy. What if the judge didn’t accept it in court? So, they moved to the third step.
First, they used AI to simulate the defense lawyer. They input the lawsuit details and instructed AI to act as a professional defense attorney, listing all possible arguments to dismiss the complaint. The AI then drafted the most comprehensive motion to dismiss it could think of.
Next, they used AI to simulate the judge. They instructed the AI to act as a federal judge, evaluate both the lawsuit and the defense’s motion, then issue a comprehensive ruling with detailed explanations for each decision.
In essence, this process was like a debate—first, AI played the role of their opponent, then it acted as the referee, helping them identify weaknesses from different perspectives. At this stage, their lawsuit was becoming more and more refined. The next step was crucial.
Step 4: Predicting the Probability of Winning
If you ask a human lawyer about the chances of winning a case, many would struggle to give a definite answer. But AI can. It can provide an exact probability. Of course, this number might not be 100% accurate, but at least it gives a rough idea of their chances.
Step 5: Using AI to Develop a Litigation Strategy
This included estimating how many stages the lawsuit would go through, how many hours it would take, the details of each step, and what actions the plaintiffs needed to take.
Reportedly, the case has already gone to court. Many people believe that at this point, winning or losing is no longer the most important thing. Even if they lose this time, by continuing to refine and advance their strategy, they might eventually achieve victory.
That’s the end of the story.
As AI continues to evolve, it may become so sophisticated that users won’t need to devise such a complex strategy. A single command might be enough for AI to handle the entire process.
So today, we’re not focusing on the specific methods the brothers used but rather on their perspective on technology.
In Silicon Valley, there’s a school of thought called “technological supremacy.” Its followers believe that technology is the ultimate solution to all problems and that humanity’s future prosperity must rely on technological advancements. Figures like Sam Altman from OpenAI, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, and many other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and scientists share this belief to varying degrees.
Of course, you may not fully agree with this view, and it may not be an absolute truth. However, some aspects of it are worth understanding, as they might inspire our strategies for the year ahead.
Last year, a book titled The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan gained popularity. Balaji, an Indian-American who grew up in the U.S., studied electrical engineering at Stanford from undergraduate to Ph.D. After graduation, he co-founded biotech and blockchain companies before becoming a tech investor.
He’s also known for his ability to express ideas eloquently. His statements are often quoted by students, similar to Warren Buffett’s famous quotes. Eventually, someone compiled his various speeches and insights into The Network State, which was written by Eric Jorgenson—the same author who compiled The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.
Balaji is a typical technological supremacist and optimist. Over the years, he has been involved in the hottest technological trends, including life sciences, blockchain, and AI. While not all his views are necessarily correct, many of them are intriguing and worth considering.
Let’s highlight a few of his key ideas that might be useful to you.
Technology as the Great Equalizer
Balaji’s perspective on technological replacement can be summarized in one phrase: Are kings and nobles born to rule?
Many people worry about AI taking over their jobs. The AI lawyer example has already sparked debate within the legal community. However, Balaji argues that technology doesn’t just accelerate the Matthew effect—where the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Instead, every major technological breakthrough diminishes the importance of one’s original social status.
In simple terms, one of the functions of new technology is to level the playing field for everyone.
Expanding on Balaji’s idea: If you’re a lawyer, you don’t need to worry about your law firm replacing you with AI. Because in the eyes of AI, you and your boss are equal. Your boss can use AI to replace you, but you can also use AI to form your own legal team and compete with the law firm.
Similarly, a designer can build an AI-powered team to replace traditional design firms. A teacher can use AI assistants to create an educational service that rivals existing institutions.
From Balaji’s perspective, when new technology emerges, your boss should be just as anxious as you are—because technology is putting everyone back on the same starting line.
Balaji’s Perspective on New Technology
From Balaji’s point of view, when new technology emerges, your boss should be just as fearful as you are—because the technological shift can level the playing field, closing many of the previous gaps between you. Think about how the short video boom allowed many small-town youths to afford a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, or how the WeChat public account boom turned many writers into internet celebrities.
This doesn’t mean that past accumulations of knowledge or experience become worthless in the face of new technology. They still hold immense value. However, in some areas, things that once seemed unattainable can now be accomplished effortlessly with new tools. In many ways, you can now proclaim: “Are kings and nobles born different from us?”
The Ultimate Goal of Technological Progress
Balaji sums up his perspective in one phrase: “Other than life and death, nothing else truly matters.”
Many middle-aged individuals—especially those who have weathered life’s ups and downs—would instinctively agree with this statement. But Balaji means something deeper. He isn’t just advising us to take care of our health; rather, he is saying that the ultimate goal of all technology is singular: achieving human immortality.
Why? Because nearly every problem in the world stems from the same root cause—scarcity.
- Feeling financial pressure? That’s because money is scarce.
- Competition between nations? It’s because resources are scarce.
- Brutal industry battles? Opportunities are scarce.
- Even in The Three-Body Problem, it’s stated that interstellar civilizations are ultimately bound by the finite resources of the universe.
Thus, solving all problems ultimately means solving scarcity. And how do we do that? Balaji believes that all resources are scarce because human life is finite. If a person could live indefinitely, even with a monthly income of $1,500, they would eventually become a billionaire.
That’s why Balaji argues that the ultimate trajectory of all technology points toward immortality. Many seemingly unrelated technologies will, sooner or later, intersect with medicine and life sciences.
The True Purpose of Money
Since “other than life and death, nothing else truly matters”, Balaji also proposes a different perspective on money. He argues that money is most valuable when used to create things that money cannot buy.
Elon Musk is wealthy, but what makes him remarkable is that he uses his wealth to build reusable starships. Jensen Huang is wealthy, but his brilliance lies in how he leveraged his wealth to develop the computing power that fuels AI.
Balaji states that this is the ultimate meaning of money—to create things that do not yet exist in the world and cannot simply be bought with cash.
I personally think this is difficult to achieve, but it’s an inspiring idea—one that would look great on the wall of a startup tech company.
You Are What You Consume—Both Physically and Mentally
This is a direct quote from Balaji: “You are what you eat, and you are what you see.”
He believes that the food we consume ultimately becomes part of our body, and likewise, the information we consume ultimately shapes our thoughts. This is essentially a philosophy of information intake.
If someone spends all day watching mind-numbing short videos, their thoughts will become immersed in that world. These videos won’t just be momentary distractions; they will settle into the person’s mind, shaping their worldview and acting as a filter through which they perceive everything—turning the entire world, in their eyes, into one giant dumbed-down short video.
In other words, every moment of careless information consumption leaves a lasting imprint on the brain.
Therefore, Balaji believes that an ambitious person should be selective—“picky,” even—about the information they consume. He says, “The truth is rarely popular, and what’s popular is rarely the truth.” This means we should approach trending news with skepticism. He also points out that there’s a huge difference between the stream of important information and the stream of news; important things are often not fresh news, and fresh news is often not important.
Final Thoughts
Balaji has many more ideas, but we won’t go into them all here. His book The Balaji Prophecies is available as an e-book on the Dedao app for those interested.
Most of Balaji’s views follow a consistent pattern—he finds ways to turn all external conditions into resources he can use. He sees the advantageous side of everything. His perspective may not always be correct, but it’s certainly worth considering.
As the saying goes: “Everything that happens benefits me.”
That’s all for now on this topic.
