Will AI hold up in court? Attorneys say it's already changing the practice of law
Briefly

In 2019, Roberto Mata's lawsuit against Avianca Airlines garnered attention when it was later revealed that his lawyers submitted legal briefs citing fictitious cases generated by AI. This resulted in a first-of-its-kind fine for the lawyers and sparked wider discussions in legal circles about the implications of AI reliance. Despite some alarming instances, such as 139 cases of AI-invented citations, many lawyers are successfully using AI tools for research and drafting with proper verification installed in their workflows, indicating a potential shift in how legal services may evolve.
In 2019, a metal cart incident aboard an Avianca flight led to a landmark legal case, highlighting the risks of AI use in legal documents.
The case's notoriety increased when the lawyers were fined for citing AI-generated fictitious cases, marking a warning for cautious AI reliance in law.
Despite cautionary tales, over 139 instances of legal briefs containing AI-created citations have surfaced in the last two years, including from prominent firms.
Most lawyers, however, are responsibly embracing AI for tasks like research and document review, emphasizing verification to ensure accuracy in their work.
Read at Fortune
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