Today, we sit down with Phoebe Gebre, the Chair of Integreon’s Innovation Committee. With over 14 years of experience at Integreon, Phoebe brings a wealth of knowledge to her current role as an account manager for a major enterprise client and as a Subject Matter Expert supporting the sales team. In her latest endeavor, Phoebe leads the Innovations committee, steering the group through a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Phoebe, the fast-evolving AI and technology landscape has certainly kept the i4 Committee busy this year! What have you all been up to?
Phoebe Gebre: Oh, where do I even begin? It’s been a whirlwind of activity and excitement around here.
That sounds intriguing! Can you give us some details?
PG: Absolutely! We’ve been deeply engaged in testing and piloting new market tools, exploring various technologies from general applications like Microsoft’s Copilot to specialized products that address niche issues. One of our most exciting projects involves developing GenAI-driven workflows for litigation and compliance matters. We’re leveraging generative AI to streamline processes and enhance the efficiency of the current workflows. This includes early case assessments, using AI to interrogate data and provide insights before anyone has reviewed the documents. We’ve also developed prompts and workflows for tasks like document review, privilege logs, third-party production reviews, and summarizing deposition transcripts.
More recently, we’ve been exploring ways to use GenAI to ensure consistency and accuracy across our review teams, catching any outliers that may arise. It’s also important to recognize that while GenAI is powerful, it’s not always the most cost-effective solution – as part of our analysis we consider the cost-benefit tradeoff as part of our analysis.
Another area of focus has been on developing Prompt Engineering Best Practices. We think about refining the prompts we use as we interact with AI to elicit the most accurate and useful responses. It’s a combination of art and science, and it’s been fascinating to see how much the AI’s performance improves with the right prompts. It’s a huge area of focus for us because our group is already at the intersection of counsel and technologists – we know how to use the tools and we understand the review protocol – so this is just another extension of that.
How has client feedback shaped your approach?
PG: Our clients are at the center of everything we do. We’ve prioritized sharing knowledge with them, listening to their needs, and learning from their experiences. It’s a two-way street: we provide our insights and innovations, and they offer invaluable feedback and new perspectives. This collaboration has been incredibly enriching and has driven much of our recent innovations.
What are your key takeaways so far?
PG: We’ve always believed that human oversight is crucial in any workflow, and our experience with GenAI has only strengthened this conviction. GenAI is just another tool in our arsenal: we’re still figuring out what it’s good for, what it’s not great at, when to use it, and when it might be overkill. While it can’t replace human judgment, it serves as a valuable asset when used appropriately.
Another key takeaway is the unique challenge GenAI presents to the legal field, particularly in demonstrating its reliability and gaining acceptance under judicial and adversarial scrutiny. We are definitely watching this space.
What are the i4 Committee’s priorities over the next couple of months?
PG: We’ll continue our rigorous testing. Our partners and clients are teaching us a great deal about what they need and how we can meet those needs with innovative solutions. We are pushing to test Gen AI tools on live client data with both law firm and corporation partners. In addition, we are evaluating privilege log use cases and continuing to evaluate Gen AI for early discovery strategy.
And lastly, what has been the most rewarding aspect of chairing the i4 Committee?
PG: The most rewarding part has been working with such a talented and driven group of colleagues. It’s been an incredible journey of exploration and innovation. The team’s energy and creativity are inspiring, and we’re excited about the future.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Phoebe. Let’s catch up again on the i4 Committee’s activities soon!
PG: I am looking forward to it!
