ABA Techshow 2026: AI, puppies, and superheroes (oh my!)

Puppies.

They were the first to greet me when I arrived at the ABA Techshow exhibit hall.  Puppies, and over 120 vendors and exhibitors showcasing legal technologies from research to bill collection to case management – almost all powered by AI. Of course, this being 2026, AI’s looming presence was hardly a surprise.

Thanks, Clio, for the cuteness.

Techshow sessions (some without AI!)

This year, Techshow featured nearly 60 educational sessions, many of which (most of which? I didn’t count) discussed AI in some form or another.  I tried to mix it up a bit –- some AI and some other topics. I attended a great session on trial technologies that explored using visuals for storytelling in ways that weren’t at all related to AI. I really enjoyed learning more about how color feeds into narrativ).  You can use AI to come up with visuals, of course, but if you don’t know which visuals are effective, the jury may not remember or trust them.

A couple of my favorite sessions focused on personal technologies and their place in the legal landscape.  In one, we learned just how much information the technologies we use every day collect – from our location, to our habits, to our health.  And a lot of this data can be easily subpoenaed.

Another session addressed the other end of this spectrum – what wearables are currently available and how lawyers might integrate them into their practice.  These wearables included everything from the AI-powered Oura ring to Apple’s powerful Vision Pro.  These technologies help lawyers track their time and health, provide immersive video experiences, and translate on the fly (yay, AirPods!).  The presenters speculated that in the future (or even now), these technologies could capture a lawyer’s entire day: every call, every discussion, every task.  They could provide instant billing information, AI summaries, and detailed transcripts.  All of these could be incredibly helpful – but the presenters were mindful that this convenience comes with significant privacy, security, and ethical implications.

Vendors can be local

The exhibit hall can be overwhelming – so many products to choose from!  Since I was trying to fly with very little baggage, I didn’t collect many tchotchkes this year, so I don’t have much to report there.  But I was intrigued to see two vendors who are very local to me.  One Descrybe.ai, is very local (as in the same town as me). Descrybe was the only dedicated legal research company, and I plan to test it soon.  The other, Lua, a secure audio transcriber, was local in a different way.  As I was walking down an aisle, two of the people at that booth called to me, “Hey, didn’t you teach us legal research?” Turns out, I did teach them legal research!  They started their company while in law school and dropped out (temporarily?) because their service has been successful (though I hope they still remember to use secondary sources in the future).

What we forget

One of my frustrations with many discussions about AI is that it’s treated as a McGuffin (specifically mentioned in one of the keynote addresses).  AI will change the practice of law, AI will help with access to justice, AI will change research, etc.  But often these discussions don’t include how AI will do this, how AI will specifically operate to create all of these changes.

Yet AI is still a technology that does technology things. It doesn’t live in its own bubble but exists within standing infrastructure and commerce.  It has some great advantages but severe limitations that we’ve yet to figure out.  As a technology, AI has significant limitations – it’s not accurate, it’s inconsistent, and it’s often not trustworthy.  By next year, some of these issues will have been resolved, but we’re a long way from resolving the “human in the loop” issue. AI needs – and will continue to need — significant oversight.

We should remember that the major flagship AIs are heavily subsidized. At some point, we’re all going to have to pay the piper. Will we be able to afford any AI resources if we must pay their true costs?  What will happen to the practice of law if that happens?

Maybe we can talk about that in 2027.

Bonus! C2E2!

This year’s Techshow theme was superheroes – not just because lawyers are superpowered — but because Chicago’s big comic convention, C2E2, was in the same convention center.  Since I had some free time on Friday, I decided to meet some friends there and check it out.  Anyway, here’s Pikachu and Evee!

I also might have spent a bit of money on anime figures.

(Remember how I didn’t take giveaways because I didn’t have room?  Yeah, well, I eventually figured out a way to get them home.)