Articles and posts about artificial intelligence (AI) abound, and the legal profession is not immune. Some defendants wonder if they can use AI to answer legal complaints. Some lawyers are already using AI to help draft briefs. Three platforms that offer generative AI are ChapGPT, Harvey.AI, and Google Bard. Federal Judge Brantley Starr has had enough and has issued a “Mandatory Certification Regarding Generative Artificial Intelligence” in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Judge Starr’s Statement:
Judge Starr emphatically stated that:
All attorneys and pro se litigants appearing before the Court must, together with their notice of appearance, file on the docket a certificate attesting either that no portion of any filing will be drafted by generative artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT, Harvey.AI, or Google Bard) or that any language drafted by generative artificial intelligence will be checked for accuracy, using print reporters or traditional legal databases, by a human being.
Judge Starr went on to explain that while AI has many legal uses in cases like divorce and in processes like discovery, it fails miserably at the legal briefings. Starr said that AI is prone to bias and hallucinations. He went on to mention that while attorneys need to swear an oath that sets aside their personal beliefs and prejudices, AI has been devised by non-attorney humans who do not have to swear that oath.
Judge Starr demands that any attorney who appears in his Court file a certificate that says in part:
I further certify that no portion of any filing, in this case, will be drafted by generative artificial intelligence or that any language drafted by generative artificial intelligence—including quotations, citations, paraphrased assertions, and legal analysis—will be checked for accuracy using print reporters or traditional legal databases, by a human being before it is submitted to the Court.
Lawyers who fail to file the AI certificate could have their filings stricken from court records.
AI Is Not Your Answer
DoNotPay, a platform that describes itself as the “world’s first robot lawyer,” is already being sued by a Chicago law firm that claims that the AI firm is not a robot, is not a lawyer, and is not a law firm. The lawsuit filed on behalf of a DoNotPay customer maintains that the customer used the platform to purchase AI-generated demand letters, an AI-generated small claims court filing, and an AI-generated complaint regarding job discrimination. The plaintiff claimed that while he thought he was purchasing legal documents drafted by a lawyer, the documents that he received were substandard.
Legal Issues Are Complex
Legal issues can be very complicated, and legal documents spit out by an AI generative service cannot be trusted. Anyone who purchases AI-generated legal documents should have them reviewed by an attorney.
If You Are in Trouble, Get Help
Bad things can happen to good people, and good people can commit illegal acts. If you have engaged in any criminal activity and are worried about the consequences, do not hesitate to seek qualified legal help from a genuine licensed attorney–not from an AI website.
If you need representation for a criminal charge in Cook County, Glasgow & Olsson is uniquely qualified to help. When you need an attorney experience matters, contact them today to learn how the firm’s experience can get you the results you deserve.