As AI becomes more commonplace within everyday life, it’s also becoming more apparent the mistakes these machines make, especially in the US legal system.
Just this past December, there were several reports of lawyers submitting false evidence, while a Stanford professor even submitted sworn testimony containing mistakes in a case, despite his expertise in AI and misinformation.
Since then, judges have been experimenting with generative AI to speed up the court system, however, this summer has seen more AI-generated mistakes go undetected and even cited by judges.
One example is a federal judge in New Jersey who had to reissue an order that contained several errors.
In some cases, judges are finding some routine tasks that can be assisted by AI, however, the boundary of what uses are appropriate for AI is difficult to define.
It’s also clear that whilst lawyers are sharply scrutinised when their use of AI leads to mistakes, the same accountability may not be faced by judges.
However, not all judges think the same, with some suggesting that the use of AI can help transform the legal profession.