In recognition of the upcoming Independence Day holiday in the U.S., and in what has become an annual tradition, I am reprising my 2012 essay about Time and Summer, which can be found here. Have a great Fourth of July holiday. Thank you to all of my loyal readers.
The D&O Diary was on assignment last week in Napa Valley in California. Although I have visited Napa several times in the past, it has been a while since I have been there. I had forgotten what a beautiful place it is and how much fun it is to visit.
My primary purpose
The D&O Diary was in Chicago for a brief visit this past week. Chicago is a great place to visit anytime of the year, but the month of May might be just about the optimal time to visit. On the day of my arrival at least, the weather was just about perfect. The purpose of my visit to Chicago was to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American College of Coverage Counsel. Continue Reading Chicago
This week I was in New York for the 2024 PLUS D&O Symposium, along with a thousand or so professionals from around the D&O insurance community. PLUS staged the conference at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square, the bright, beating heart of NYC. No matter how many times you may visit, there is still something special about being in New York. The conference was great as well, a great chance to catch up on the latest news and developments, to meet with my many friends in the industry, and to make some new friends, as well.Continue Reading PLUS D&O Symposium 2024
The D&O Diary was on the road again this week, albeit this time for domestic travels only. The main event this week was a stop in Nashville to attend Arch Insurance’s Executive Assurance Division’s 2024 Offsite Meeting. At least by contrast to some of my recent international travel, this was a quick trip; because it was such a quick trip, I didn’t get a chance to see much of Nashville itself, but the trip was still a lot of fun.Continue Reading Nashville
In a long-standing tradition, I have each July reprised on this site an essay I wrote several years ago about summertime at our lake house in Pentwater, Michigan. Actually, the tradition was that I re-posted the article over the July 4th weekend. This year, I was completely preoccupied during the July 4th holiday
One of the most topical and potentially most significant recent developments had been the release of several different language-based generative artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. The advent of these tools, their ease of use, and their responsiveness has led to observers and commentators to question whether these tools could drive significant changes in the economy and labor force – among other things, for example, whether these tools might have significant implications for the practice of law. My own experience (discussed here) is that while these tools are interesting, they are no substitute for the research and writing of an experienced lawyer. A recent case, involving an experienced New York lawyer who relied on ChatGPT generated content in a legal brief in a client’s case, demonstrates the dangers involved for anyone who relies on ChatGPT as a substitute for legal research. The case was described in a May 27, 2023, New York Times article entitled “Here’s What Happens When Your Lawyer Uses ChatGPT” (here).Continue Reading AI is Not Quite Ready to Replace the Lawyers
You can hardly turn on any of your various devices these days without encountering yet another hyperventilating article or program about ChatGPT or, more generally, about artificial intelligence (AI) chat bots. Time magazine recently ran a cover story about ChatGPT and the AI chat bot race. As if that were not enough to signal that ChatGPT has arrived as the social phenomenon du jour, the Wall Street Journal recently ran a long self-consciously serious op-ed column in which Henry Kissinger and two other public intellectuals called ChatGPT “a new technology [that] bids to transform the human cognitive process.” Wow! OK, then.
Despite these and many other recent signs and signals of impending doom, I was fully prepared to ignore ChatGPT and carry on with my life – that is, until one of my colleagues recently asked me whether, given that advent of ChatGPT, my days as a blogger are about to come to an end? The question, in its simplest form, is whether I am about to be replaced by a machine. If you listen to the current ChatGPT hype, it may be a question that all of us need to be asking ourselves.Continue Reading Are We All About to be Replaced by AI Chat Bots?
The D&O Diary was on assignment this week at the PLUS D&O Symposium. As reflected the accompanying picture of Times Square, the weather in New York was uncharacteristically sunny and warm for this time of year. The Symposium itself was also superlative; the event was surprisingly well-attended and the sessions were great. My congratulations to the event co-chairs, and to the PLUS staff and volunteer leadership for another successful event. Continue Reading PLUS D&O Symposium in New York
Because so many of you were out of the office or away from your desks last week, I am posting another reminder that, along with colleagues Marissa Streckfuss and Chris Bertola, I will be hosting a free, one-hour seminar on The Top Ten D&O Stories of 2022 on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 11:00 am.