At the end of ILTACON 2023, I reached out to many of the people I met with for their observations about the conference and covered some of them Wednesday and yesterday. Here’s part three of ILTACON 2023 crowdsourced observations!

FYI, I’m publishing their crowdsourced ILTACON 2023 observations in the order they provided them to me and splitting them over three posts.

The belle of the ball was ChatGPT. Every app has one or will have one soon.  While I am as rhapsodic as anyone about these, let’s not forget to go our homework first. Test the models, test the privacy, test the security – then rinse and repeat. On my end, we are introducing explicit client consent requirements into eDiscovery vendor contracts to ensure that data privacy protections remain a hard deck for any platforms that enable transformer architecture in artificial neural networks (ChatGPT and the like). Philip Weldon, Director of eDiscovery and Litigation Support Technology, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP

While generative AI may be all the rage these days, I found that the most engaging sessions at ILTACON 2023 were focused on practical topics that legal technology practitioners are dealing with today. From DAT file specifications for production, to handling short message data and configuring Microsoft 365 settings, the presenters imparted a wealth of hands-on knowledge. It was great to be able to network and discuss these topics with a like-minded group of legal tech professionals, who are both looking forwards to innovations that will reshape our industry while also staying grounded in the day-to-day challenges that we are currently facing. Ryan Hemmel, Solutions Engineer at ProSearch Strategies

In the educational sessions, panel discussions and one-to-one conversations, generative AI was clearly top of mind as we, as a legal tech community, are grappling with security and privacy concerns presented by genAI and finding our place to influence guardrails, regulation and standards needed for emerging tech. It is clear that AI will continue to be a real force in driving innovation and efficiency as organizations continue to try and stay on top of the avalanche of data that is only growing faster. James Lasson, Vice President, Marketing, Casepoint

ILTACON 2023 didn’t disappoint, with solid attendance and attendee engagement – inquiries spanned traditional business of law services and legal technology of all shapes and sizes, including continued consistent interest in AI and generative AI. Epiq’s soft launch of a secure collaboration app for Teams drew the attention of many law firms and the media. Joshua Fireman, President, Fireman & Company, an Epiq Company

There was a palpable sense of perplexity regarding emerging data sources, underscored by a shared belief that there is a critical need for more standardization of this evolving data type across the EDRM. This sentiment highlights the urgent need for the industry to address these shortcomings and develop more robust processes. Ultimately, we were all reminded that the end goal of technology is to make life easier, and that includes the oversight of mobile data in discovery and investigations. Monica Harris, Product Business Manager, Cellebrite Enterprise Solutions

If you are looking to connect with CIOs, CTOs, directors of IT and legal technology professionals from many of the world’s largest law firms, this is one of the best places to be. The second largest ILTACON in history and energy levels were high. Content was abundant and meeting old and new friends at the Phin’s lobby bar was a highlight. I noticed a lot of “new” and “improved” product announcements and hope that trend continues as pushing for innovation helps us all! Amy Juers, MBA, CEO, Edge Marketing, Inc.

There was definitely a magical vibe this year being able to see so many friends in person, and klik-ing with new acquaintances. Session rooms seemed to be scattered all over the swampy-hot Magical Kingdom which thankfully gave us the opportunity to walk off the many mouse-eared desserts. Interesting sessions and discussions all around, with kudos to Joe Patrice for stating the obvious: We apparently could not have ILTACON without AI … because then it would just be LTCON. Brett Burney, Nextpoint Law Group

ILTACON was surprisingly focused on AI: Who knew? 😏 I was impressed with the maturity shown by both legal tech’s buy-side and sell-side — focusing less on the underlying tech (e.g., LLMs), and more on finding the “right tool for the job.” Speakers who were knowledgeable straddled both “Traditional AI” (e.g., tagging, analytics) and “Neural Net AI” (e.g., GPT-4 and other LLMs) to show how Traditional AI is often the right tool for the job, though Neural Nets can often help, too. In short, I think that in this climate, reason ruled the day: Use the right tool for the job. Damien Riehl, VP, Solutions Champion, vLex

The buzz was real! It was a whirlwind of learning, networking, and lively conversations. The venue was electric, as people from various backgrounds connected and shared insights. One standout was the focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Sessions and discussions on these crucial topics added depth to the event, sparking meaningful conversations among attendees. Corporate legal had a small spotlight, with discussions ranging from growing data to the latest tech innovations like generative AI. And how could I forget the Klik smart badges that left everyone talking about privacy issues that might come from it! There was also the palpable excitement about the latest mergers announced before the conference, which added an extra layer of anticipation to hear more from those companies. This year’s ILTACON captured the industry’s renewed spirit, embracing the present while eagerly looking forward to what’s next. Maribel Rivera, Marketing Consultant, Maribel Rivera Marketing & Events

ILTACON 2023 had several main topics this year, but one theme in particular was prominent – Generative AI. You saw it referenced, heard it talked about in sessions, and discussed it throughout the exhibit hall and around the conference. The idea of implementing this technology into everyday use seems to be met with caution. There is a pretty notable consensus that the legal community won’t be ready to really consider GenAI for a while. There is a place for GenAI to be utilized, but for now, it will be a slow adoption specific to workflows that automate repetitive tasks in collections, processing, configurations, and other similar tasks. It will come and it will be beneficial, the hurdle will be knowing how to apply it appropriately. Matt Hamilton, Senior Director of Sales Engineering, Casepoint

It was great to be a part of so much thoughtful conversation – not only about the promise that advances in AI and GenAI have for Discovery, but also about how we can help foster the successful adoption of new tools and solutions. Gina Taranto, PhD, Director of Applied Science, ProSearch

There were so many people who provided crowdsourced ILTACON 2023 observations that I couldn’t fit it all into one post! Thanks to all who crowdsourced ILTACON 2023 observations for me – you saved me writing three posts this week! 😀

So, what do you think? Did you attend ILTACON 2023? If so, feel free to comment with your own observations below! And please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.