Plaintiff attempts to use AI-generated ‘lawyer’ avatar to deliver oral arguments in New York court
While artificial intelligence (AI) is being used increasingly in real life, it hasn’t yet been allowed to represent defendants in court.
But this almost happened in New York when entrepreneur Jerome Dewald tried to get an AI lawyer to speak on his behalf, in an unprecedented move.
Source: Source: Appellate division of the First Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the state via Associated Press
AI lawyer shown in New York court for oral arguments
During the 26 March hearing, Dewald had applied to the court for permission to play a prerecorded video to deliver his oral arguments for a dispute over an employment issue, reported the Associated Press.
After Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels agreed for it to be played, a smiling, youthful man with a sculpted hairdo appeared on the screen, saying:
May it please the court, I come here today a humble pro see before a panel of five distinguished judges.
Source: Fox News
At that point, the judge asked if that was the counsel for the case. Dewald immediately answered that it was not a real person and that he had generated that character.
Judge calls for video to be turned off
Justice Manzanet-Daniels was not amused, saying in response:
It would have been nice to know that when you made your application. You did not tell me that, sir… I don’t appreciate being misled.
She then called for the video to be turned off.
Plaintiff felt AI lawyer would deliver argument better
Dewald reportedly apologised to the court later, saying that he “had not intended any harm”.
As he didn’t have a lawyer, he had to present his arguments himself and felt that an avatar would be better at delivering the argument “without his own usual mumbling, stumbling and tripping over words”.
He thus commissioned a tech company to create the avatar.
Source: Appellate division of the First Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the state via Associated Press
“The court was really upset about it… They chewed me up pretty good,” he said.
His case is still pending before the courts.
AI use not new in US legal system
The use of AI in the legal system is not new in the United States.
Arizona’s Supreme Court, for example, has adopted AI avatars to summarise rulings for the public.
However, the use of such technology by litigants remains controversial.
In June 2023, two attorneys and a law firm were fined US$5,000 (S$6,600) each by a New York judge for citing fictitious legal cases after using ChatGPT to do legal research.
Also read: Man in China loses nearly S$37K in long-distance relationship scam with AI-generated ‘girlfriend’
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Featured image adapted from Appellate division of the First Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the state via Associated Press.
