AI-generated attorney outrages judge who scolds man over courtroom fake: ‘not a real person’
An artificial intelligence-generated avatar was the source of contempt inside a New York courtroom after judges quickly realized the attorney arguing a case in front of them was not real.
The scene unfolded as Jerome Dewald, a plaintiff in an employment dispute, approached the stand of the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department on March 26.
“The appellant has submitted a video for his argument,” Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels said. “We will hear that video now.”
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The screen powered on, displaying a handsome young man wearing a button-down shirt, seemingly sitting in a home office.
“May it please the court, I come here today a humble pro se before a panel of five distinguished justices,” the man said. Suddenly, Manzanet-Daniels interrupted the video and questioned the authenticity of the apparent attorney.
“Hold on,” Manzanet-Daniels said. “Is that counsel for the case?”
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Dewald confirmed the man was, in fact, his representative, and told the judges, “I generated that. That’s not a real person.” The fallout was immediate as the judge clearly expressed her disapproval of Dewald’s choice to present an AI-generated video.
“It would have been nice to know that when you made your application,” Manzanet-Daniels said. “You did not tell me that, sir.”
Dewald reportedly submitted a letter apologizing to the court, explaining he did not have a lawyer representing him in the case and had not intended any harm.
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“The court was really upset about it,” Dewald told The Associated Press. “They chewed me up pretty good.”
Dewald reportedly applied for permission from the court to play a prerecorded video and initially planned to use an avatar that resembled himself, but opted for a program created by a San Francisco tech company.
The snafu was not the first time artificial intelligence has raised eyebrows in court.
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Last year, two New York lawyers were each fined $5,000 by a federal judge after they used ChatGPT to conduct legal research, leading to them citing a fictitious case.
Additional fake rulings were cited in legal papers filed by lawyers for Michael Cohen, a formal personal attorney for President Donald Trump. Cohen took responsibility for the incident, claiming he was unaware the AI-tool his firm was using was capable of “hallucinations.”
Dewald did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.