When we hire legal professionals, we expect that we’re paying for their time and expertise. Unfortunately, one Manhattan lawyer took a shortcut to speed up the research process and paid the price for it – literally. When Steven A. Schwartz was retained to represent a client in a personal injury case against Avianca Airlines, he submitted a 10-page brief to a Manhattan Federal judge with references to purported court decisions. Not only were these citations bogus, but even more shockingly, they had been fabricated by an AI-powered chatbot called ChatGPT.
When confronted by the judge, Schwartz freely admitted that he had never used ChatGPT before and was unaware of the possibility that its content could be false and misleading. The judge has since ordered a hearing for June 8th to discuss potential sanctions concerning the false court references.
ChatGPT is a research and writing tool designed to help legal professionals research and cite relevant court cases faster. It is powered by advanced language modelling technology to quickly generate citations to legal cases. However, ChatGPT has now been found guilty of fabricating cases and citations for Schwartz’s Federal Court filing. This incident serves as a reminder that legal professionals should always verify the accuracy of any research provided by a third-party AI platform, even if it comes from a trusted source.
Schwartz is an experienced attorney with over 20 years of litigation expertise. He has also garnered recognition for his pro bono work with local non-profits, small businesses, and individuals. His practice focuses on personal injury cases, commercial litigation, and labor law.
Avianca Airlines is a Colombian airline based in Bogota. Founded in 1919, they first started as a regional carrier and expanded their services to offer international flights throughout the Americas. Their most popular routes include Bogota to Lima, Mexico City, and São Paulo. Recently, they have also received attention for their digital transformation initiatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
