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Stephen, my reference to Luddites was not a 'jibe' directed at anyone but a reference to the fact that, contrary to fears at the time, technology opened up the market to provide more, not less, opportunity, and so , I believe, will be the case with ODR. I was focusing on what Jonathan Smithers had said about his belief that the objective of introducing ODR into the justice system was to remove lawyers from part of the judicial process.

I have not suggested when AI will be available in the law. I mentioned cognitive computing (not the AI 'robo lawyer') , as being 'not far beyond the horizon' for lawyers. Having spoken on two occasions with IBM Watson people I know that to be the case. The technology has been made available and it just requires people to make use of it to build resources for the law. That work is being done right now by at least three operations of which I am aware.

How far off is the horizon and how far below it are practical applications in the law to be used by the 'not so early' adopters remains to be seen but it certainly is not the 'decades away' you have suggested in your first response.

Of the other tools I mention, such as assisted case framing, argument structuring and predictive analysis, these are currently offered to the legal market by a small number of companies.