--- title: Machine Learning, Lawyers and Folding Towels description: Machine learning is an empowering technology which should liberate many lawyers from doing work that is robotic in nature. image: https://blog.libryo.com/hubfs/machine_learning_libryo.jpg --- [![Libryo_Green-2](https://blog.libryo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Libryo_Green-2.png?width=2000&height=519&name=Libryo_Green-2.png "Libryo_Green-2")](https://libryo.com) - [PRODUCTS](https://libryo.com/products/) - [CUSTOM LEGAL REGISTERS](https://libryo.com/legal-registers-custom/) - [PRICING](https://libryo.com/pricing/) - [PROFESSIONAL SERVICES](https://libryo.com/libryo-professional-services/) - [LIBRYO COLLABORATE](https://libryo.com/libryo-collaborate/) - [ABOUT](https://libryo.com/about-us/) - [RESOURCES](https://libryo.com/resources/) - [BLOG](https://blog.libryo.com/) - [CASE STUDIES](https://libryo.com/case-studies/) - [CONTACT](http://libryo.com/libryo/contact/) - [PARTNERS](http://libryo.com/partners/) - [REQUEST A DEMO](https://info.libryo.com/book-a-demo) - [LOG IN](https://my.libryo.com/auth/login) # **Sky high thinkers** #### Welcome to the Libryo blog ![close](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2432204/AK-UI%20Builder/close-button.svg) ### Categories - [Legal compliance (124)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/legal-compliance) - [Legaltech (124)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/legaltech) - [Regulations, laws and requirements (105)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/regulations-laws-and-requirements) - [Regtech (101)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/regtech) - [Custom legal registers (97)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/custom-legal-registers) - [Libryo news (75)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/libryo-news) - [COVID-19 regulation updates (45)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/covid-19-regulation-updates) - [Sustainability governance (43)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/sustainability-governance) - [Responsible Brands (42)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/responsible-brands) - [Law as a Service (30)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/law-as-a-service) - [EHS Software (27)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/ehs-software) - [ESG Solutions (18)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/esg-solutions) - [ISO standards (12)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/iso-standards) - [AI (2)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/ai) - [On the ground series (2)](https://blog.libryo.com/topic/on-the-ground-series) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Popular Stories [Is it EHS, SHE, HSE, HSSE, SHEQ or OHS and what’s the difference?](https://blog.libryo.com/is-it-ehs-she-hse-hsse-sheq-or-ohs-and-whats-the-difference) Mar 26, 2021 [What is AI Slop and How to Avoid It?](https://blog.libryo.com/what-is-ai-slop-and-how-to-avoid-it) Jan 17, 2025 [101 Guide to the Latest Sustainability Regulations and Standards](https://blog.libryo.com/101-guide-to-the-latest-sustainability-regulations-and-standards) Apr 14, 2025 [5 Simple Ideas For Your Company To Reduce its Environmental Impact](https://blog.libryo.com/5-simple-ideas-for-your-company-to-reduce-its-environmental-impact) Apr 25, 2023 [ISO 14001:2026 Legal Register & Compliance Changes](https://blog.libryo.com/iso-140012026-legal-register-compliance-changes) May 28, 2026 Categories | Subscribe | Populars Welcome to Libryo’s Sky high thinkers blog, where thoughts on legaltech, sustainability, law, compliance and technology converge. Filter by topic or popular reads and share your thoughts with us and others. If you have a topic that you’d like to see covered, drop us an email: [info@libryo.com](mailto:info@libryo.com) Stay in the know by receiving monthly email updates directly into your inbox. **[SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG](https://blog.libryo.com/machine-learning-lawyers-and-folding-towels#subscribe)** - - - # Machine Learning, Lawyers and Folding Towels Written by Garth Watson on April 06, 2017 There are some things that humans are better at. And then there are things that machines are better at. Examples of things humans are better at (and may always be better at) include: - using common sense to solve new problems - feeling emotions and showing empathy - creativity - relationships - sales. See [here](http://uk.businessinsider.com/things-humans-can-do-better-than-machines-2015-10?r=US&IR=T)and [here](https://qz.com/517506/the-three-things-humans-will-always-do-better-than-robots/) for more on this. Apparently, [robots are really bad at folding towels](http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/05/19/407736307/robots-are-really-bad-at-folding-towels) and even a top robot will be beaten at this task by a normal eight year old child. And then, of course, there are things that machines are much better at: - Memory - Searching through large volumes of information and retrieving useful results - Increasingly, driving cars - Increasingly applying principles and facts to solve complex problems - And many more. Machine learning is a technology that is a bit of a buzzword in tech circles today and it is something that will benefit many knowledge workers whose work relies on a combination of robotic tasks and tasks that are more nuanced in nature, more human in nature if you will. [Machine learning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning) is the subfield of computer science that gives "computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed." It is powerful because when machines learn, they don't forget and their knowledge and application of it tends towards perfection. This is really useful when it comes to the practice of law, especially as access to cloud-based super-computing becomes a reality. The [rise of #legaltech](https://blog.libryo.com/the-rise-of-legal-tech-whats-all-the-hype-a-legal-compliance-perspective) is a thing and one can quickly start to envisage the possibilities that machine learning can bring to certain parts of the legal arena. There are parts of every lawyer's job (in-house or firm-based) which fall into two categories. There are things that lawyers do that lawyers are best at while there are other things that software is better at. We have already covered the fact that [most regulatory law is not complicated, its just obscure and badly organised](https://blog.libryo.com/the-rise-of-legal-tech-whats-all-the-hype-a-legal-compliance-perspective). So, when one looks at regulatory and compliance law, which is an excellent use case for machine learning, the reality is that smart ways of organising regulatory law, combined with machine learning technology enable the reduction of the tasks that are robotic in nature from the to-do lists of lawyers who embrace the technology. Machine learning is an empowering technology which should liberate many lawyers from doing work that is robotic in nature. By that I mean, repetitive tasks that can be easily programmed or easily learnt by even rudimentary machine learning algorithms. This will allow lawyers to focus on what they are best at and be truly empowered to do so. Here's to the machines! #### More Info - [Sitemap](https://libryo.com/page-sitemap.xml) - [FAQ](https://libryo.com/faq/) - [Book a demo](https://info.libryo.com/book-a-demo) - [Libryo Collaborate](https://libryo.com/libryo-collaborate/) - [Careers](https://libryo.com/about-us/#careers) #### Get in touch [![envelope-150x150](https://blog.libryo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/envelope-150x150.png?width=25&height=25&name=envelope-150x150.png)  LEAVE MESSAGE](http://libryo.com/contact/) [![phone-150x150](https://blog.libryo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/phone-150x150.png?width=25&height=25&name=phone-150x150.png)  CONTACT](http://libryo.com/contact/) [![linkedinew-150x150](https://blog.libryo.com/hs-fs/hubfs/linkedinew-150x150.png?width=25&height=25&name=linkedinew-150x150.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/libryo/)           © Copyright 2024 ERM Libryo Ltd | [Privacy Policy](http://libryo.com/privacy-policy/) | [Terms](http://libryo.com/terms/) \[fa icon="chevron-up"\]Back to top