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Let's Talk about Neal Katyal's TED Talk

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The Volokh Conspiracy Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent Let's Talk about Neal Katyal's TED Talk He takes a shot at Michael McConnell as "that guy" and compares the Court's questions to Harvey AI. In November, I attended the oral argument in the tariff case. I wrote a lengthy post about how I perceived the case. Ultimately, my bottom-line predicti...
Neal Katyal’s TED Talk presents a compelling narrative about the intersection of human advocacy and AI in high-stakes legal battles. At its core, the talk is a defense of the "irreducibly human" skills—like emotional intelligence and adaptability—that Katyal argues AI cannot replicate. Yet, the article’s critique reveals a tension between this ideal and Katyal’s actual performance, where justices like Barrett and Gorsuch appeared frustrated by his rehearsed, sometimes unresponsive answers. This ...