Vienna (OTS) – The Viennese legal tech start-up GesetzeFinden.at has announced the development of an AI chatbot specialised in the Austrian legal sector, based on a specially developed Legal Large Language Model (Legal LLM). An interdisciplinary consortium consisting of GesetzeFinden.at, the Faculty of Psychology at Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU), the Viennese law firm CERHA HEMPEL and Fraunhofer Austria will realise the project within the next 24 months. The innovative project is being implemented as part of a project funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and aims to revolutionise legal work and make access to the law considerably easier for the general public. The kick-off took place in Vienna at the beginning of August.
Practical problem: complexity and access barriers in the legal sector
The legal sector is characterised by its complexity and often difficult-to-understand technical language. These factors not only make it difficult for laypersons to understand and apply legal information, but also pose a considerable challenge for legal professionals. Existing AI models do not yet offer a sufficient solution here. They are not designed to accurately capture the subtle nuances and specific context of the Austrian legal system, says Bernhard Landrichter, co-founder and managing partner of the Viennese start-up.
Solution: Legal AI
The aim of the project is to develop a legal language model (Legal LLM) that improves access to the law and increases the efficiency of legal workflows. ‘AmigaAI’ should be able to understand legal language and interpret it correctly in context.
Project consortium: interdisciplinary collaboration with renowned partners
The project goal is to be achieved with an interdisciplinary consortium that combines legal expertise, psychological research and technological innovation:
GesetzeFinden.at, the self-financed Viennese start-up, is contributing its extensive experience in processing, analysing and providing legal data and is taking over the project management. ‘Our aim is to create a law-specific language model that will benefit professionals and the general public and make access to the law considerably easier,’ says Landrichter.
The Faculty of Psychology at Sigmund Freud Private University (SFU) is supporting the project as a scientific partner with its expertise in psychological research, particularly in the areas of human-machine interaction and technology acceptance. ‘The aim is to gain the acceptance and trust of users by ensuring that the system is intuitive to use and works reliably,’ emphasises Armin Klaps from SFU.
CERHA HEMPEL, one of the leading law firms in Austria and a potential user of the AI model, is contributing its legal expertise and practical insights to the project. ‘The challenge is to ensure that the Legal LLM not only meets the specific requirements of the Austrian legal market, but also fulfils the high standards of the EU AI Act. We are delighted to be involved in this highly innovative project in the field of legal AI,’ say Hans Kristoferitsch and Alina Alavi Kia, project managers at CERHA HEMPEL.
Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH conducts cutting-edge research at the interface between research and industry and is responsible for the technical implementation of the project together with GesetzeFinden.at. The innovative ‘Society of Minds’ concept, in which several AI chatbots communicate and collaborate with each other, aims to improve results and save computing resources. ‘The process is as follows: the user first asks the AI a question. Various chatbots then discuss it with each other without the user. They then answer the question together. It is hoped that this will lead to better results, but also to the use of smaller and therefore more sustainable models,’ explains Ruben Hetfleisch from Fraunhofer Austria.
- Press release (in German)
Contact SFU:
Prof. Dr Birgit U. Stetina, birgit.u.stetina@sfu.ac.at
Armin Klaps, MSc, armin.klaps@sfu.ac.at
Faculty of Psychology
Sigmund Freud Private University