whirligig (noun):
1. a child’s toy having a whirling motion
2. a merry-go-round (such as on a children’s playground)
3. (a) one that continuously, whirls, moves, or changes; (b) a whirling or circling course (as of events)
[Adapted from Merriam-Webster].
Building Momentum
As we start seeing longer evenings here in the Northern Hemisphere, the whirligig of AI capabilities continues to spin faster and faster still. It’s become almost “boring” — that favorite word of elementary school-aged kids — to say that there are new innovations and enhancements to capabilities being announced on a weekly basis. As of this writing, the latest updates are on “multimodal” capabilities, i.e., beyond text and into the analysis, rendering, and synthesis of images, audio, and video.
At Threadeo, we keep a close eye on these innovations in real time. We’re constantly running tests to filter out features that are too early or too gimmicky vs those that add real value to legal professionals. We are also committed to providing legal professionals with the greatest possible value for their investment and trust in Threadeo.
With that, here are some updates and reflections we wanted to share with you.
PDF Exhibit Summaries — At No Extra Charge
Starting in the second half of April, we will be including summaries of all PDF exhibits associated with a deposition, arbitration, or trial transcript. As with our summaries of the transcript themselves, these PDF exhibit summaries will not only have a concise description of the content, but also generate a structure, provide a coherent narrative, surface inconsistencies, reflect on implications, and suggest recommendations for next steps. This is the first production application of the PDF Analyzer platform we had discussed about six weeks ago.
Best of all? These PDF exhibit summaries will be offered at no extra charge for every single uploaded exhibit that is mentioned in the associated transcript. How’s that for value?
Direct Summarization of PDF Depo Transcripts
Conversations with attorneys clearly indicate that the PDF version of a transcript is often more accessible than the TXT. This is not some arcane technical discussion: sometimes all you have is the PDF because you can’t get a hold of the court reporter who created the TXT. Sometimes it’s a scan from a typed document from 30+ years ago.
We hear you, and that’s why you will soon be able to directly summarize most PDF deposition transcripts (yes, even the badly scanned ones). No more rummaging through contacts or ancient folders for the TXT. No more awkward PDF conversion programs to wrestle with. And certainly no more making do without our class-leading summaries just because it’s in the wrong file format. We’re aiming to push this live also in the second half of April. It’ll be the second production application of PDF Analyzer, alongside the PDF exhibit summaries mentioned above.
Page:Line Summaries — At No Extra Charge
We’ve learned that some legal professionals prefer the familiarity of a deposition summary in traditional “page:line” format. This is a three-column format with the first column containing a logical subsection of the deposition, a summary of that subsection, and key quotes from the transcript that support the summary. All with the quality and trustworthiness that Threadeo brings to every deliverable.
It’s also a classic example of the MAYA principle — “most advanced, yet acceptable” — a combination of familiar outputs and advanced technology.
Page-line summaries are now live for all deposition summaries and are provided at no extra charge — it’s just another file in the download package. More value! 🙂
Conclusion: Not Just Spin
While the AI whirligig continues its dizzying spin, rest assured that Threadeo remains focused on grounding these advancements into practical, trustworthy tools that deliver real value to your practice. Stay tuned.