American Lawyer Turns to ChatGPT for Legal Precedents, Learns a Hard Lesson

In an astonishing turn of events, an experienced American lawyer, Steven Schwartz, found himself in hot water after relying on OpenAI’s ChatGPT to provide legal precedents during a court proceeding in Manhattan. The incident has raised questions about the reliability of artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT and the responsibility of professionals to verify information provided by these tools.

A Legal Blunder Unfolds

Schwartz, who has had a long and successful career in law, turned to the popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, to assist him in formulating a winning strategy by quickly identifying legal precedents crucial to his case. In the common law system, such precedents play a pivotal role in shaping legal arguments.

The chatbot offered Schwartz a series of seemingly pertinent cases that appeared to support his position. However, when Judge Kevin Castel, who was presiding over the hearing, asked Schwartz to provide details of the cited cases, the lawyer soon found himself in a sticky situation.

Eager to comply with the judge’s request, Schwartz turned to ChatGPT once more. The AI provided him with precise dates, case numbers, and court rulings. Armed with this information, Schwartz confidently presented it to the…