In a move to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities, Thomson Reuters Corporation has acquired Safe Sign Technologies, a UK-based startup specializing in legal-specific large language models (LLMs). The acquisition, announced today, is expected to accelerate Thomson Reuters’ AI strategy and enhance its offerings in the legal technology sector.
Joel Hron, Chief Technology Officer at Thomson Reuters, emphasized the significance of the acquisition, stating, “This acquisition marks another milestone on our journey to combine our trusted content and world-class domain experts with our cutting-edge technology.” Hron noted that Safe Sign’s models have demonstrated industry-leading performance in domain-specific evaluations, according to the company’s internal assessment.
The integration of Safe Sign Technologies is anticipated to enhance Thomson Reuters’ CoCounsel AI Assistant, a generative AI tool designed to streamline workflows for professionals across various industries. Hron expressed confidence that the acquisition would accelerate the company’s ability to provide customers with a “professional grade AI experience.”
Founded in February 2022 by Alexander Kardos-Nyheim, Safe Sign Technologies has quickly established itself as a leader in legal AI research. The startup’s team, comprising experts from prestigious institutions such as Cambridge, DeepMind, Harvard, and MIT, will now report directly to Hron and collaborate closely with the Thomson Reuters Labs team.
Dr. Jonathan Schwarz, who joined Safe Sign Technologies in late 2023 as co-founder and chief scientist, played a crucial role in developing the company’s LLM strategy and achieving what the company describes as “world-class legal LLM performance.”
The Safe Sign Technologies leadership team, including Kardos-Nyheim and Schwarz, expressed enthusiasm about joining Thomson Reuters, stating their intention to become “a major scientific and industrial disrupter in legal AI.”
This acquisition underscores Thomson Reuters’ commitment to advancing its AI capabilities in the legal sector, potentially reshaping the landscape of legal technology and information services.