Last week, Thomson Reuters took the wraps off its completely rebuilt CoCounsel, marking a significant pivot in the legal tech landscape. The unveiling took place in a two-story industrial loft on West 38th Street, where demos and glowing customer testimonials adorned the surrounding screens. Among these, one stood out for its stark enthusiasm: “F*ing. Fantastic,” a testimonial that is as unexpected as it is bold, especially coming from a user of a product developed by a company as traditionally reserved as Thomson Reuters.

In an industry where advancements can sometimes be as opaque as they are rapid, explaining the nuances of AI improvements to a room full of lawyers is no small feat. AI development is moving at such a breakneck pace that it borders on negligence for vendors not to announce significant improvements loudly. Yet, articulating why the latest version of an AI product is superior to its predecessor remains a challenge. It's reminiscent of Justice Stewart's famous remark about obscenity: "I know it when I see it."

The new CoCounsel operates much like the old: taking attorney requests, diving into Thomson Reuters' extensive proprietary resources, and delivering quality outputs. The difference? It now does this better than ever. However, this improvement presents a unique marketing challenge, akin to what we see in detergent commercials. Each year, a new formula claims superiority by removing the same stains its predecessors did. This phenomenon, which could be dubbed the 'New-and-Improved Detergent Problem,' makes it challenging to convince buyers of the real progress being made.

From a technical standpoint, the changes are radical. CoCounsel has undergone a complete rebuild of its underlying architecture. To the end-users, however, these improvements might only translate to slightly better performance in familiar tasks. This scenario reflects a broader trend in technology: radical incremental improvements that might not seem monumental individually, but collectively signify significant advancements.

Drawing a parallel from history, Steve Jobs famously insisted on reducing the Macintosh boot time by 10 seconds, a minor tweak that cumulatively saved years of human time. Similarly, the legal profession must adjust its lens to appreciate these incremental, yet radical improvements in legal AI. The revamped CoCounsel, despite performing familiar tasks, does so with a finesse that was previously unattainable.

Moreover, the importance of customer testimonials in this context cannot be overstated. When technical improvements are subtle and hard to quantify, hearing a fellow user describe their experience can be incredibly persuasive. It’s these testimonials that can shift perceptions and highlight the tangible benefits of incremental advancements.

As the legal industry continues to evolve with AI, embracing these continuous, subtle enhancements will be key. The challenge for vendors like Thomson Reuters is not just in making these improvements, but in effectively communicating their value to a traditionally skeptical audience. In this endeavor, perhaps nothing speaks louder than a customer's ecstatic review, even if it's as simple as declaring a product “F*ing. Fantastic.”