AI Lawyer Fails: 74-Year-Old’s Courtroom Avatar Disaster

Talk about a courtroom twist! Last month in New York, things got really interesting. A 74-year-old guy tried to use an AI avatar to argue his case. Did it work? Not so much.

Jerome Dewald, the man in question, is involved in an employment case. He thought he’d be clever. He submitted a video featuring an AI-generated person to speak for him. Big mistake. He didn’t tell the judges beforehand. Imagine their surprise.

On March 26th, the video played. Five judges at the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department were listening intently. They expected Dewald to speak. Instead, they saw a young man in a sweater and button-down shirt. An AI creation.

“May it please the court,” the avatar said. “I come here today a humble pro se. .. ”

It didn’t get far.

“I Don’t Appreciate Being Misled”

Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels stopped the video immediately. “Hold on,” she said. “Is that counsel for the case? ”

Dewald admitted it was AI. Manzanet-Daniels wasn’t happy. She had the video shut off.

“I don’t appreciate being misled,” she said, pointing out that Dewald hadn’t given them a heads-up about the AI stunt. Ouch.

Dewald still got to make his argument, thankfully. He later apologized, explaining he didn’t have a lawyer and hoped AI would make him sound more polished. He wanted to avoid stammering.

Dewald told the Associated Press, “The court was really upset about it. ” He used a program from a San Francisco company to create the avatar.

AI in Court: A Mixed Bag

This isn’t the first AI courtroom drama. Remember the time lawyers got fined $5,000 for using ChatGPT? The chatbot made up fake legal stuff. Cases, quotes, the whole shebang.

But AI isn’t always the bad guy. Some courts are using it to help people. For example, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida has an AI chatbot named Sandi. It helps people navigate the Miami-Dade Courts website in English or Spanish.

And get this: The Arizona Supreme Court has two AI avatars, Victoria and Daniel. They deliver news about rulings on YouTube. Interesting, right?

AI in court? It’s complicated. Sometimes it’s a disaster. Other times, it’s actually helpful. What do you think? Is AI ready for the courtroom spotlight?