An attorney faces consequences after using ChatGPT to generate a brief fraught with untrue court citations. Attorney Steven Schwartz of law firm Levidow, Levidow and Oberman, had been on behalf of Roberto Mata, suing the Columbian airline Avianca due to an alleged injury. The legal team filed a brief of 10 pages outlining why the case should remain, which included more than half a dozen court decisions. Unfortunately, none of the court decisions could be found – as it transpires they had been created by ChatGPT.
Schwartz opened an affidavit to illustrate that he had used the artificial intelligence chatbot to “supplement” his research. He claimed to be quite unaware that the content created by ChatGPT could be false, and showed that he even double checked the citations with the machine – to unfamiliar results. He clearly regrets his actions, vowing never to employ ChatGPT without fully verifying its accuracy.
The situation has consequently led to the federal judge charged with overseeing the case to order a hearing just one week away – to discuss the sanctions. To make matters worse, OpenAI’s program has sent a spark of fear throughout the professions which could see AI overthrow the already dwindled workforce.
Avianca Airlines is the Columbian national carrier with headquarters from Bogata. It offers flights all around the world and has made several advances in technology and customer satisfaction. Founded in December of 1919, it has been an integral part of connections both within Colombia and with the rest of the world.
Steven Schwartz is an attorney from the firm Levidow, Levidow and Oberman located in New York. He graduated from New York University School of Law and has been practicing for the past 8 years. After a stint with the Manhattan District Attorneys office, he made the transition to private practice specializing in civil and criminal law. While in private practice, he has handled a large number of cases, including the high profile Avianca case.
