Toronto is quickly becoming known as a global hub for development of AI software and the legal sector is no exception. Toronto based Blue J Legal recently released Employment Foresight to complement their existing Tax Foresight product. The company was started by professors at UofT Law School in 2014 when now CEO Benjamin Alarie was a judge for IBM’s Watson Challenge at UofT. Professor Alarie started by applying machine learning to predicting tax dispute outcomes and is now expanding scope to other legal areas.
Employment Foresight uses machine learning to predict outcomes for issues such as reasonable notice, employee drug testing, worker classification, constructive dismissal, managerial exemption to overtime, and cause for dismissal. The software analyzes data from common law cases, to discover patterns in previous rulings. It identifies relationships between factors such as industry, employment position and tenure of employment to predict how the courts will rule. Along with a prediction for a new set of facts, the program provides a confidence level so users, such as employers, can assess risk and make more informed decisions when it comes to how to handle a disputed employment issue such as a termination.
CEO Alarie indicates that programs like Employment Foresight allow the common law to work better. With 800,000 Canadians losing their jobs every year, there should be a lot of demand for more accessible information about employment rights that doesn’t require expensive research by seasoned legal practitioners. The company continues to look at innovating in areas of law where there is an unmet need for advice that is accessible and affordable.
To learn more, visit Blue J Legal.
