In today's email, we've got:

• Google going toe-to-toe with Microsoft in the AI battle

• solicitor apprenticeships getting more popular

• your favourite celebrities - just with tinier hands

EDITOR'S RAMBLE 🗣

This week, LawCare (a mental wellbeing charity for lawyers) shared their 2022 impact report.

The report showed that nearly a quarter (22%) of those reaching out for support were primarily suffering in one way - excessive stress.

There's a problem here that's not discussed openly enough - excessive stress in law is becoming more than many can handle.

Throughout my time in this field, I've also been affected by it in different ways. I've had nights where I'm not able to sleep because my mind is on the transaction. I almost always feel a low-level background anxiety when I'm not near my work phone.

The role of a lawyer is inherently one where the stakes are high - lawyers do important work. So, workplace stress is inevitable. But we should acknowledge that our mental health is a necessary ingredient in our ability to perform well in this important work.

Personally, I've joined the mental health network at my firm and found the senior people who are spearheading change - I believe it will get better in time.

But, right now, one change we can all make is to be willing to speak openly about the challenges we are facing.

This will do two important things:

Firstly, if you're suffering right now it will allow others to help you - and I believe people want to help.

Secondly, if you're not suffering now, tales of your past challenges will normalise these types of conversations. Someone will hear you talk about your experience and could open up about their current struggles.

We can each do our small but significant part to shift the trajectory of mental health awareness in law.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

- Idin

P.S. On a lighter note, in last week's poll, we set out on a mission to finally clear up what the word 'biweekly' actually means.

I'm glad to say that nearly 150 of you responded and we've got the answer:

If you've got any other language ambiguities that need solving, let me know - we'll clear them up right here!

FEATURED REPORT 📰

🧠 Google's (artificially) intelligent move

Credit: Giphy

What's going on here?

Google's invested $300m into a AI startup called Anthropic for around a 10% stake. The goal is to get Google up to speed with Microsoft in the booming AI market.

Why is Google interested in this deal?

Google’s looked to invest in Anthropic to keep up with Microsoft, among other reasons. The Microsoft gang have been long-time investors in Anthropic's main competitor, called OpenAI (and recently invested another $10bn in the company). Microsoft even announced that they’ll be using OpenAI’s products in their own offerings soon.

The marriage between AI companies and Big Tech companies makes a lot of sense. AI needs computing power (and LOTS of it) to operate - Google, Microsoft and the other big boys can provide this.

What are Anthropic and OpenAI aiming to achieve?

Both OpenAI and Anthropic are working towards making advancements in ‘generative AI’. This tech involves computer programs that can do things like write scripts or create art in only a few seconds.

OpenAI has been working on developing a series of AI systems and recently launched ChatGPT, a chatbot that can converse with users through text.

Anthropic has also developed an intelligent chatbot called Claude, which is similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT (but Claude isn’t public yet).

What are the risks involved with generative AI?

Generative AI is powerful (I'd recommend you have a play around with ChatGPT if you've not done it yet). Among a LOT of other things, it can…

• 💻 Review data: It can look through loads of data and instantly return the information you need in the format you need it,

• 💡 Ideate and brainstorm: It can come up with ideas related to any given topic (e.g. birthday game ideas for a group of 12-year-olds), or

• 📝 Write and draft: It can write documents like letters or even legal drafts.

But there are risks with this new type of software.

This could be things like…

• 🚫️ Intellectual property infringement: This sort of tech might spit out content that breaks the law by stepping on someone else's intellectual property rights (like copyrights or trademarks),

• 💊 Liability for harm: The models could wrongly generate fake or dangerous content, or

• 🔒 Data privacy laws: The tech could violate people's privacy by processing and creating information about them without their permission.

So generative AI still has its challenges going forward.

How would a law firm be involved in this?

This is an investment by Google into Anthropic in return for shares in the AI company. A deal like this would require corporate lawyers to help out.

The role of the lawyers on both sides would be to:

• 💼 Review and negotiate the terms of the investment (to ensure the interests of their clients are fairly protected),

• 🔎 Assist with due diligence (Google would be asking the Anthropic managers questions to make sure there's nothing too problematic at the company), and

• ✍️ Draft and manage the signing of the investment documents (before the money is actually transferred in return for the shares).

A BIT OF FUN 😄

Let's spill the beans

If you fancy yourself as a coffee connoisseur, let's see how you do in this quiz.

Credit: Giphy

Can you put these high street coffees in order of caffeine content, from highest to lowest?

Note: each order is for a single shot espresso. ☕

1. Caffè Nero

2. Costa (signature blend)

3. Greggs

4. Pret

Credit: Which

Scroll down to the bottom to see the answers. 👀

IN OTHER NEWS 🗞

• 🚗 Elon Musk was found not guilty of fraud over his tweet about Tesla: The fraud case was because shareholders sued him for his 2018 tweet claiming he had secured funding to take Tesla private (which never actually happened).

• 💸 The UK's will enter into a shorter and less severe recession this year: This is a prediction from the Bank of England, stating that the economic slump is now expected to last just over a year rather than almost two as predicted before.

• 📚 Forty new firms interested in offering solicitor apprenticeships: Apprenticeship schemes make the route to becoming a solicitor in the UK more accessible. So it's great to see this initiative spearheaded by firms like Allen & Overy, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright, Osborne Clarke and Eversheds Sutherland.

AROUND THE WEB 🌐

• 👾 Time travel: If Google were made in the '80s, it would have looked like this.

• ✍️ Writing: This very simple tool will highlight where you've used duplicated words in your writing so you can make it flow better.

• 🤣 Haha: You didn't know you wanted it, but this site alters celebrity pics to give them tiny hands.

Credit: r/internetisbeautiful; The Hustle

STUFF THAT MIGHT HELP YOU 👌

• 👥 Community for aspiring lawyers: If you're struggling with motivation for law firm applications, check out FlowHuddle - a supportive online community, hosting remote co-working sessions, expert office hours and in-person meet-ups.

• 📕Commercial awareness journal: Check out this journal that we've created alongside the team from The Lawyer Spot. It gives your a simple three-step structure to improve your commercial awareness in a high-quality physical notebook.

• 📣 Advertise with us: If you're looking to reach an engaged audience of over 6,000 aspiring lawyers, sponsor this newsletter.

Quiz Answer:

1. Pret - 180 mg

2. Costa (signature blend) - 100mg

3. Greggs - 75mg

4. Caffè Nero - 45mg