(CP) SANS FRANCISCO – Written by Sophia Lee.
A New York man surprised judges during a court hearing by showing a video featuring an A.I.-generated person instead of himself. The man, Jerome Dewald, age 74, was representing himself in an appeal case and used the video to make his argument.
The video showed a younger-looking man in a beige sweater, standing in front of a virtual background. When a judge asked if the person was his lawyer, Dewald admitted it wasn’t a real person. “I generated that,” he said.
Judge Sallie Manzanet-Daniels didn’t appreciate the surprise. “I don’t appreciate being misled,” she said sharply, and ordered the video to be turned off.
Dewald later said he was embarrassed and had sent a letter to the judges apologizing. He explained that he had trouble speaking clearly in court before and hoped the A.I. video would help. He first wanted to create a digital version of himself, but when that didn’t work, he used a fake person instead.
“My intent was never to deceive,” he wrote. “But I understand now that I should have been more transparent.”
Dewald’s case is one of the latest examples of people using A.I. in U.S. courtrooms. And he’s not the only one who’s gotten into trouble for it.
In 2023, a lawyer in New York used ChatGPT to write a legal document, but the A.I. made up fake legal cases. The lawyer faced serious consequences. That same year, Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, gave his attorney fake legal citations from another A.I. program. Cohen later said he didn’t know the tool could provide false information.
Experts warn that while A.I. tools can be helpful for people who can’t afford lawyers, they also come with risks. “They can still hallucinate — produce very compelling looking information that is fake or nonsensical,” said Daniel Shin, a researcher at the William & Mary Law School.
As more people turn to A.I. to help with legal matters, judges and lawyers are keeping a close watch. Tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard are easy to use, but if not checked carefully, they can cause serious problems in real courtrooms.
Dewald’s experience is a reminder: in court, honesty and clarity matter more than high-tech shortcuts.