Any individual point in time can lead to infinite outcomes. A single ripple on the surface of the ocean can resonate forward into revolutionary change. Sometimes all you need to do to transform the world entirely is to simply notice the motion.
That’s how Malik Kheribeche, Relativity AI Visionary and director of forensic advisory at Deloitte, found himself at the forefront of AI.
The Initial Ripple
“Is it fair to say I’m a tech enthusiast? Absolutely,” Malik admits with a smile.
After receiving his first computer at the age of six, Malik was immediately captivated, which led to exploring modding consoles, learning new electronics, and programming. As his natural curiosity and eager appetite for knowledge propelled him down a path of, and later career in, technological discovery, Malik found himself naturally drawn into the world of AI. It was this hunger to learn and forward-thinking vision that built his position as a leader and innovator in the legal tech and AI space.
A New Approach to the Familiar
But AI has been here for a long time, Malik points out. It’s just that now we’re talking about it differently. “I look at the world of forensics, where I come from and that e-discovery is part of, and it’s always been part of the job,” Malik says. “Optical Character Recognition is machine learning. We’ve been using AI in e-discovery for two decades now in this way.”
The key now is recognizing those ripples as they come and gazing out at the horizon to anticipate pivots. The work is the same, but the approach is new.
“Frankly, I’ve been doing the same work for 10 years—but I’ve been doing it very differently. Adaptivity is key, and resilience. And convincing people that we’re applying new technologies for the greater good, and with a purpose.”
The world is moving this way because it’s supposed to. AI is the natural flow of progress. “Things are changing now and they will change again, and we are all adapting like we have always been doing,” Malik says.
Gazing Through the Spyglass
But what makes an AI Visionary? It’s not just talking the talk. It’s not just embracing the powerful currents of inevitable change. It’s proactive and it’s hungry––pushing boundaries, discovering practical, outcome-driven applications, and then putting in the work to enact change.
It’s not enough to coast along. You must have the courage to make waves.
“[Being named an] AI Visionary is one of the greatest recognitions within the community for the Doers, the people that go beyond the hype,” Malik says. “It’s not only about speaking well about the tech itself, but it’s putting it to work with defensibility and a purpose that are key. We are rewarding the Doers from the community who are making an impact with the latest tech.”
A Safe Harbor in the Face of Change
So why aren’t more organizations diving headfirst into the future of tech? Malik says it’s data privacy and security concerns. Companies hesitant to adopt AI just aren’t sure that the perceived risk is worth the maybe still intangible reward. They’re asking questions like: Will my data be captured and used for training these models? What will happen to my PII that gets injected into these models? Does adopting AI mean that I am relinquishing control of my most sensitive data and exposing my organization and my clients to risk?
And they’re valid questions.
So what do we do about that? How do organizations keep an eye on the horizon without opening themselves up to too much risk?
“The most important thing with driving adoption of generative AI is to embed it into something lawyers are familiar with. It’s about bringing the novelty to the familiarity, so it can be blended into something they’re comfortable with,” Malik says.
“In my professional experience, I’ve found that a robust AI framework built on transparency, defensibility, privacy, and security is crucial. When organizations prioritize these principles, it builds legitimacy and trust with clients.”
That’s why relying on trusted platforms is so critical. “Relativity, a key alliance partner,” Malik says, “undergoes rigorous, in-depth security and privacy audits within the Microsoft Azure set up, which is already trusted. This helps mitigate these massive concerns for our clients, which, honestly, are really fair.”
“Platforms like RelativityOne provide an environment where people feel comfortable, they feel at home, and they know how to operate it. Users see it augmented with so many great things that accelerate workflows, and that really helps facilitate the conversation and drive adoption.”
Practical AI
Because the average person isn’t tinkering with AI directly. They see it as a feature in an existing, comfortable tool. They go about their day as normal, do their work, and then implement AI workflows into a platform they have already been using for many years. The tech has never been so accessible.
“Everybody should spend time trying to invest in AI a bit more.” Malik urges. “How this model will work, how machine learning generally works, and maybe a bit of programming. It’s the time for project managers, lawyers, and specialists to jump into it, and that will multiply how much they can deliver.”
“I encourage everyone to approach AI with an open mind and confidence. This transformative, yet imperfect, technology offers opportunities for professionals across all levels of expertise.”
A Look at the Horizon
So where do we go from here? It’s clear to Malik that the marginal cost of intelligence is decreasing and will continue to decrease—with many of the tasks requiring knowledge workers continuing to accelerate. Activities like document view, investigation, contract review, and others can be automated, at least at the first level, to an acceptable degree of quality.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Malik says. “Many of our workflows are cognitively intense. They require us to combine various sources of information, to have meetings, to search, and sensitize.” The ability for AI to automate many of these tasks is coming, and a huge benefit is that this will allow legal professionals to eliminate these tedious manual exercises and focus their limited time on the most critical parts of their cases and projects.
And from there, the possibilities are endless.
Answering the Call from Beyond
So you find yourself in the present moment, this exact point in time, and you feel AI’s powerful ripple shimmering toward you. You see a glimmer of transformation on the horizon, with the beacons of change lighting the way.
The time has come to ask yourself—where do I want to be when we reach the horizon? Am I ready to sail forth as a visionary too?
Adventure awaits.
Katie Pecho is a content marketing specialist at Relativity.
