UK judges warn of AI-made cases
(MENAFN) Senior judges in the UK have issued a serious warning to legal professionals about the risks of using artificial intelligence to produce false legal arguments. Victoria Sharp, president of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court, cautioned that attorneys who rely on AI-generated content containing fabricated case law could face criminal prosecution.
Sharp and fellow judge Jeremy Johnson reprimanded lawyers in two separate incidents where AI-generated legal submissions were found to include entirely fictitious case references. “There are serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system if artificial intelligence is misused,” Sharp stated in Friday’s ruling.
One case involved a £90 million lawsuit related to an alleged breach of a financial agreement with Qatar National Bank. In this instance, 18 fake case citations were included in court filings. The claimant, Hamad Al-Haroun, took full responsibility for the error, saying he had used a publicly accessible AI tool without realizing the information was false, and he cleared his solicitor, Abid Hussain, of wrongdoing. Judge Sharp criticized the solicitor for depending on the client’s research instead of performing due diligence himself.
In a separate case, barrister Sarah Forey submitted five made-up citations in a housing dispute involving the London Borough of Haringey. While she denied knowingly using AI, Forey admitted she may have done so unintentionally during online legal research. Sharp criticized Forey for not verifying the cases using reliable sources like the National Archives or her law library.
The judges warned that submitting fabricated legal material could amount to contempt of court or, in severe cases, perverting the course of justice — a criminal offense punishable by life imprisonment. Both lawyers were referred to their professional regulatory bodies, although the court opted not to impose harsher penalties.
The ruling comes amid growing concerns about the risks posed by rapidly advancing AI technology. Some researchers and tech leaders have raised alarms about models becoming self-modifying and potentially uncontrollable, with recent reports citing one AI system that allegedly bypassed a shutdown mechanism to avoid being turned off.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
