About Midwest Frontier AI Consulting
This consultancy, founded by Chad Ratashak, focuses on helping small- and medium-sized law firms based in the U.S. Midwest using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, such as large language models (LLMs).
I have worked with in-house counsel and small firms in multiple states. My CLE covers topics relevant to litigators and transactional attorneys. I’ve warned about specific AI risks that have later resulted in attorneys facing possible sanctions and fines (e.g., verifying sources with Google AI Overviews or using tools like ChatGPT for “writing help” on final drafts.)
While there is a lot of hype around AI, lawyers have repeatedly misused it and faced potential or actual professional consequences. However, there is still real value for those who learn to use generative AI responsibly. Chad's goal is to help small and medium law firms and other businesses discern when to use AI and when not to use AI. Midwest Frontier AI Consulting has questionnaires to help you build policies for both a) a full ban on generative AI or b) a policy allowing specific approved tools and use cases with appropriate training under certain guidelines.
You can hire Midwest Frontier AI consulting to help you write an AI Policy for your firm and train your staff (attorneys and non-attorneys) on the Policy.
Generative AI misuse can result in one or more serious potential professional consequences including: fines, refunding the client for time spent on erroneous citations, opposing attorneys’ fees for time spent responding to the erroneous citations, remedial CLE for the attorneys involved in the erroneous citations, costs for after-the-fact generative AI governance policy, reputational damage, and loss of the motion/appeal.
Equipping Clients with Knowledge
We want to equip our clients with the knowledge to be effective users of whichever generative AI tools they choose to use. This may mean realizing that all they need is a free tool or getting the most value they can out of an expensive subscription.
It may also mean making an informed decision not to use GenAI tools. With GenAI features being added to familiar software like Microsoft Word or Google Search, opting out of GenAI is an intentional decision rather than a default. We can help clients with this option as well, understanding how to limit GenAI exposure as much as possible.
LLMs hallucinate, which means convincingly wording factually incorrect information. LLMs also have a bias toward sycophancy, or telling the user what they want to hear.
Our training and AI consultation will help you design workflows that take these challenges into consideration
Why the Name? Why the Bird?
Midwest: Based in Iowa and serving the surrounding region. Our region has contributed significantly to the development of LLMs and other generative AI with data centers across the region, but the focus tends to be on the coasts.
Frontier: Double meaning. First, we in Iowa are on the old “frontier” at the start of the Great Plains and the Transcontinental Railroad. Second, “frontier models” are the largest, most capable AI models. OpenAI
AI: The focus here is on generative AI models.
Consulting: Our services are governance and training focused on responsible generative AI adoption, particularly in law.
Red-Winged Blackbird Logo: Red-Winged Blackbirds aggressively monitor the prairie for danger. They constantly scan an apparently monotonous sea of grass for threats to their nest. Likewise, Midwest Frontier AI Consulting is staying current on the latest generative AI threats, risks, models, use cases, and industry trends to provide quality advice and training to our clients. Our mission is not abstract: we want to encourage the ethical and responsible AI use in law, medicine, education, and other high-impact areas in our own backyard in the Midwest for our kids’ futures.
Other Services for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)
Financial Services, BSA/AML, Fraud Prevention
Chad has previously worked in the FIU of a major financial institution. He has spoken on generative AI, ransomware, and terrorism finance to BSA/AML professionals through organizations like ACAMS and ACFCS.
Chad was the Private sector leader in the DHS AEP ransomware group in 2022. He also participated in the AEP cryptocurrency group in 2023. Chad has experience working on a variety of complex financial crimes topics.
Manufacturers
Chad has talked with Midwesterners about various ways clients could improve efficiencies using generative AI. This includes process documentation, digitization of paper products, and improvement of data analytics in ways that are deterministic and avoid hallucination risks.
He also talks about protecting IP and trade secrets from AI wearables, employee use of public LLMs, or agentic AI leaking private information.
Data & Scientific Industries
Chad has worked with individuals and small organizations on AI risks and use cases in data intensive and scientific fields, like biotechnology, opinion surveys, and chemical engineering. He understands how to help organizations adopt coding agents for code generation (e.g., Python or R), work on data pipeline documentation, and conduct scientific literature review. He also warns about unfettered AI agents editing ground-truth raw data, editing reports, or introducing hallucinated information in other ways. When it comes to using generative AI, he will work with your organization for reliability and reproducibility, not just a cool quick demo that doesn’t hold up.