The Man Who Beat Lawyers With AI: We Have 3 years Until White-Collar carnage

AI is already better at lawyering than humans says Greg Baker. Greg is a lecturer in computer science and AI at Macquarie University. He's also the first person in Australia to successfully use AI agents to win a legal case against his employer. No law degree. No barrister. Just ChatGPT, a Git repository, and a bet that AI would be better at legal reasoning than a top-tier law firm by the time his case reached a hearing. He was right. In this conversation, Greg shares what it was like to face off against one of Australia's top barristers using nothing but AI, how he structured his case like a software development project, and why he believes we're three years away from AGI wiping out most white collar work. He also opens up about the identity crisis facing every profession that thinks they're safe, the doomsday scenarios that keep AI researchers awake at night, and why slowing down might be the most important decision humanity ever makes. He explains: - How he won a Fair Work case using AI against a top barrister, and why it wasn't even close by the end - Why AI is already better at legal reasoning than most human lawyers, and what that means for the profession - How he structured his entire case like a software development project using Git repositories and build processes - Why written submissions give AI an unfair advantage, and what that tells us about where AI has already surpassed humans - The moment Macquarie's lawyers realized this wasn't going to be the walkover they expected - Why every white collar profession thinks they're safe, and why none of them are - His prediction that AGI will arrive by 2029, and why three years is the window before most office jobs disappear - Why responsibility is the only thing AI can't take from you, and what jobs will survive because of it - The doomsday scenarios that AI researchers are genuinely worried about, and why slowing down might be impossible - Why Trump is right that whoever wins AI wins, and why that makes pausing even more complicated - What motivated him to write a book about building identity beyond work, and why that matters more than ever If you've been watching AI from the sidelines, or if you're in a profession that feels safe for now, this episode will change how you think about what's coming, how fast it's arriving, and what you should be doing to prepare. Timestamps: ### Chapters - **00:00:00** Introduction - **00:02:25** The First AI Legal Victory: How It Happened - **00:04:19** Why AI Is Already Better Than Human Lawyers - **00:09:59** The Git Repository Strategy: Treating Legal Cases Like Code - **00:11:54** The White-Collar Decimation: What's Coming for Every Profession - **00:13:58** When the University Realized They'd Hit a Brick Wall - **00:17:00** The Crisis of Identity: No Profession Is Safe - **00:17:10** AGI by 2029: The Timeline and What It Means - **00:18:15** The 25% Productivity Myth and Job Displacement Reality - **00:25:10** The Offshore Advantage: How AI Translation Changes Everything - **00:27:21** What Jobs Will Actually Survive AI? - **00:27:45** The Robotics Revolution: Blue-Collar Jobs by 2036 - **00:32:35** The Luddites Were Right: Lessons from the Industrial Revolution - **00:35:30** The Pause Debate: Trump vs. Tech Leaders on Slowing AI - **00:37:49** Doomsday Scenarios: Why We're Not Ready for What's Coming - **00:43:03** An Infinite Supply of Someone: Writing for the Future - **00:46:44** Final Thoughts: Leveling the Playing Field We're just getting started! Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, and their advisers. Greg Baker: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/solresol/ Substack https://solresol.substack.com/ Greg’s Book (*An Infinite Supply of Someone)* https://mailchi.mp/3aa69d0e27e2/an-infinite-supply-of-someone-book-updates Other Notes: \[31:25] Waymo robotaxi growth: paid rides grew from ~50,000 per week in May 2024 to 500,000 per week by March 2026, a 10× increase in less than two years. \[39:41] If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All (Eliezer Yudkowsky) \[40:43] Universal Paperclips https://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ \[41:11] The Coming Wave (Mustafa Suleyman) At The Top Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@atthetopwithben Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atthetopwithben/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/at-the-top-with-ben/ Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/show/1GTjCXqdQzQtZ33idMpQgo?si=C5gNvXDZSkWdxBz-mW13AA Apple Podcasts: http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-the-top/id1893782299