- Syneru’s Legal AI project submission won the BCX – Alibaba Cloud Hackathon
- Legal AI called SYNJ2P democratises law for ordinary people
- The hackathon provides opportune conditions to advance skills and learn Alibaba Cloud tools
AI-generated image of the team showing how they felt after winning the hackathon.
From left to right JP, Philip, Justin
Technology is at a pivotal point in its history where AI and, as an extension, large language models (LLMs) are spearheading the fourth industrial revolution.
Using AI has progressed from asking simple questions to generating vivid imagery and videos complete with facial recognition. Aside from these tasks, AI has the incredible ability to enhance business function and guide an organisation to efficiency while increasing customer and employee retention.
To further explore the capabilities of AI, Syneru recently competed in the BCX – Alibaba Cloud Hackathon. Two days to plan, code, and execute a project for a hackathon can be quite an exciting challenge for any team. Syneru undertook this task with gusto and succeeded, winning first place. Following is a discussion about the impact of AI in the context of our team’s experience at the recent BCX – Alibaba Cloud Hackathon.
How is AI Impacting the World?
More and more opportunities become apparent as AI advances from its infancy. In these initial stages, AI is already transforming the world in a multitude of ways in both logical and creative industries.
Large language models (LLMs) have given developers the ability to generate lines of code and resolve issues, that would otherwise take hours, in minutes. An individual can scan a database and generate a comprehensive answer in seconds. Likewise, AI is fast becoming crucial in the creative industry with affordable access to quickly generate high-resolution graphics and videos. AI brings with it efficiency we have never seen before.
Large language models (LLMs) function by interpreting and generating text that mimics human interaction. Intuitive interactions with technology like this are key to developing conversational interfaces, chatbots and natural language processing applications. Due to AI, we are at the precipice of the world shifting to accommodate vast creativity and complex development projects that would not have otherwise been possible. One such project that delves into exploring the power of AI, is Syneru’s legal AI hackathon project submission SYNJ2P.
What is SYNJ2P?
In mid-September, Syneru brought their vision of a Legal focused AI to life. The opportunity came with the BCX – Alibaba Cloud Hackathon hosted at the BCX Centurion Offices from September 16th to September 17th. As Syneru built a solution, SYNJ2P, that matched the theme of AI for Social Good, they learned how to navigate and utilize the Alibaba Cloud Tools effectively. The team consisted of two intermediate developers, Justin and JP and an IT Solutions Architect, Philip.
Syneru’s groundbreaking project, SYNJ2P aims to “Democratise access to legal services through AI”. In the current South African court system, the outcome of the case is often determined by whoever has greater financial resources. Syneru aims to change this by building an affordable tool for the average citizen to reference in legal proceedings. SYNJ2P is a platform that can intelligently search and summarise legal documents so users are informed, well before they visit a lawyer. Leveraging the power of AI, Syneru hopes to “level the playing field” so that judgements can be based on facts, not biases. SYNJ2P encompasses a humanitarian aspect that seeks to allow everyone access to legal advice.
What was the experience of building SYNJ2P?
As expected, effort and dedication are what drove this project to success. “I would say it was hard work from each one of us that allowed us to reach that point. It required us all to struggle to figure out how a lot of the cloud infrastructure worked, how the AI is trained and to have it utilize the documents we fed it” remarked Justin. Preparation for the event was limited to some research into large language models (LLMs) and enquiries about other past hackathon experiences. Additionally, in the days leading up to the event, Syneru decided on their Legal AI concept to fit the AI for Social Good theme.
The tech stack used was quite varied and involved Alibaba Cloud, an analytics dashboard for PostgreSQL and an Elastic Algorithm service among many other tools. As with any hackathon, there were some technical challenges in working with various software, prompt engineering and the like, but the team managed to pull together the core features and deliver their key concept at the demonstration.
Why create a business model outline?
Still, regardless of how impressive or complex the code is, a product needs to be monetized to attain value and for that, a team needs a solid business model. During the showcase, Syneru proposed to target individuals struggling with large legal fees with a pay-as-you-go model so users do not invest more than necessary. This connects to the humanitarian aspect of the theme.
On the other hand, the team also put forward a commercial monthly subscription model that will allow private businesses and corporations a faster response rate and priority queries. Legal aid can use the system to create subsidised contracts and improve service to the public. Targeting the court system as a whole, SYNJ2P can extend to Government bodies with special contracts to improve the efficiency of judges and advocates. Outlining the real-world appeal of the system with a well-defined business model allows for a smooth translation from concept to market where the idea can become profitable.
What was it like to win a hackathon?
Though the team was confident in their abilities and the effort that they had put into their project, they didn’t expect to win. Collectively they were pleasantly surprised, with JP reflecting that “It was a surreal experience to win”. Philip partially attributes their success to having a strong business case that is applicable to a wide audience and makes the solution viable in the real world.
Not only did the team win the hackathon, but Philip also won best presenter which his team said “was no surprise”. As a presenter, Justin says, “He flew through the judges’ questions and offered very detailed explanations”. Regardless of them winning, Syneru enjoyed the experience. A generally friendly atmosphere combined with great organisation, immense talent and creativity made this hackathon an unforgettable experience.
A Creative Break in Routine
In the time that the team immersed themselves in learning how to build with AI, they gained creative insight. The BCX – Alibaba Cloud Hackathon provided an opportunity for holistic growth that allowed the team’s technical ability and creativity to flourish. Strict time constraints and the pressure of demonstrating a somewhat functional project at the end of the event led the team to take on different roles than they normally would.
Day-to-day tasks from clients and the hackathon environment are vastly different. Though there is pressure to meet deadlines in each, the latter demands creative problem-solving and internal approval while the former hinges on client satisfaction. Working on code for their Legal AI tool allowed them to expand their perspective in a way that their daily schedule would not allow.
How the hackathon became a team-building opportunity
Besides growing individual skills and challenging creativity, the event functioned as a team-building exercise which opened the floor for collaboration across different teams. Effectively, bonding team members while facilitating Synergies that were previously unknown. The Team, Justin, JP and Philip, don’t typically work jointly on projects, often completing separate projects for clients. Through a shared responsibility and passion to develop SYNJ2P, this exercise created a mutual appreciation for their skillsets and knowledge. Philip said of Justin and JP “It’s good to know who we’ve got working in the company and to see that they are really talented people.”
Similarly, Justin mentioned that “JP has a wide range of skills and we put our heads together a lot to overcome challenges, bugs and AI oddities.”. JP said that he “learned a lot from working with Justin regarding best practices and useful guidelines in coding”.
It was also a rewarding learning experience for everyone on the team as it enhanced the team’s ability to work efficiently and the ability to execute, while simultaneously unveiling a wealth of hidden talent and value.
The way forward with Alibaba Cloud:
Aside from the hackathon, Syneru is looking forward to working with Alibaba in a much different capacity. After experiencing the power of AI firsthand and the value of working with LLM’s, Syneru is excited to move on to another project and be amongst the first in Africa to launch Alibaba Cloud. “We are proud to deliver an elastic compute solution that is easy to use, locally available and efficient.” says Syneru. Syneru is primed to be an Alibaba Cloud provider from 2024 onwards.
How can AI benefit your business?
What Syneru accomplished at the hackathon is only a fraction of the potential of AI. To promote efficiency, AI has the remarkable ability to automate repetitive tasks which creates time to focus more on the strategic and creative aspects of work. Security systems based on AI have real-time threat detection and response which can strengthen the overall cyber security posture. What’s more, AI systems are highly scalable and can handle growing workloads without linear increases in resources.
With all these benefits it’s no wonder that IT industry professionals want to work with the latest in technological innovation. Positioning your company as a technology leader not only fosters a dynamic work environment but also attracts suitably skilled professionals and helps with employee and client retention.
With AI rapidly expanding and evolving, the applications for it are becoming endless. SYNJ2P is only one example of what can be achieved. It is fast becoming a necessity in all kinds of businesses. While the hackathon allowed the team to explore the capabilities of AI, the team can’t wait to move forward with new projects that allow South Africa to move further in the technological space.
*****The above article is based on an interview with the Syneru hackathon team ****
