New York-based lawyer Steven Schwartz has apologized to a judge after submitting a document full of falsehoods generated by an OpenAI chatbot. Schwartz used the ChatGPT program to prepare a court filing in a civil case involving a man who is suing Colombian airline Avianca. The man claims he was injured when a metal serving plate hit his leg during a flight in August 2019 from El Salvador to New York. After the airline’s lawyers asked the court to dismiss the case, Schwartz filed a response citing more than half a dozen decisions to support why the litigation should proceed. However, the cases cited turned out to be fake, with neither Avianca’s attorneys nor the presiding judge able to locate them.
The Apology
Schwartz was forced to acknowledge that ChatGPT had fabricated the cases. In a filing ahead of a hearing, he apologized to the court for his “deeply regrettable mistake”. Schwartz said his college-educated children had introduced him to ChatGPT and it was the first time he had ever used it in his professional work. He added that he believed that ChatGPT was a reliable search engine and that it “was never my intention to mislead the court”. The judge ordered Schwartz and his law partner to appear before him to face possible sanctions, and the lawyer said he had been “publicly ridiculed” in media coverage of the case. Schwartz said the incident had been “an eye-opening experience” and that he could assure the court he would never make an error like this again.
ChatGPT was launched late last year and has become a global sensation for its ability to produce human-like content, including essays, poems, and conversations from simple prompts. The AI program has sparked a mushrooming of generative AI content, leaving lawmakers scrambling to try to figure out how to regulate such bots. A spokesperson for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Schwartz’s use of the program. The story was first reported by The New York Times.
The incident highlights the potential dangers of relying on AI tools without fully understanding their capabilities. While AI has the ability to produce content that is almost indistinguishable from that written by humans, it is important for users to verify the accuracy of the information generated. As AI continues to evolve and become more sophisticated, it is likely to play an increasingly important role in legal practice and other fields. However, it is important for users to exercise caution and ensure that they fully understand the limitations of the technology. In this case, Schwartz’s use of ChatGPT led to potentially serious consequences, and it serves as a cautionary tale for others who may be tempted to rely too heavily on AI tools without fully understanding their capabilities.
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