ChatGPT took the internet by storm. There were students using artificial intelligence (AI) to write college essays, and ChatGPT was created to check these essays for AI “plagiarism.” When ChatGPT attempted to step into the shoes of a trial attorney, it hit a little closer to home.
What is ChatGPT?
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT is a chat model designed to interact in a conversational way. It communicates in a dialogue format, which makes it possible to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.
How does ChatGPT work?
It’s simple. You create an account with OpenAI, which takes you to the ChatGPT page. There, you can type in your question or request.
I typed the following prompt: “Write 250 words or more on using ChatGPT in a legal courtroom.” The bot created the following article:
Using ChatGPT in a legal courtroom could revolutionize the way legal proceedings are conducted. ChatGPT is a language model that has been trained on a large dataset and can generate human-like responses to natural language questions. In a legal setting, this technology could be used in a number of ways to improve the efficiency and accuracy of legal proceedings.
One way ChatGPT could be used in a legal courtroom is as a virtual legal assistant. Attorneys and judges could use the technology to quickly search for relevant legal precedent, statutes, and case law. This could help to save time in the legal process and reduce the risk of human error in legal research.
Another way ChatGPT could be used in a legal courtroom is as a virtual mediator or arbitrator. The technology could be programmed to provide impartial, data-driven recommendations for resolving disputes. This could save time and money compared to traditional forms of dispute resolution and could provide a more objective and fair outcome for all parties involved.
In addition to these applications, ChatGPT could also be used in legal proceedings to generate legal documents, such as contracts and pleadings. The technology could be programmed to generate legal documents based on a set of rules and regulations, reducing the risk of human error and saving time for legal professionals.
Overall, the use of ChatGPT in a legal courtroom has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of legal proceedings. However, as with any new technology, there are also potential ethical and legal concerns that must be considered. For example, the use of ChatGPT in a legal setting raises questions about accountability and the responsibility of legal professionals to ensure the accuracy and fairness of the technology’s output.
Despite these concerns, the use of ChatGPT in a legal courtroom holds tremendous potential for the future of legal proceedings. As the technology continues to advance and become more sophisticated, it is likely that we will see increased use of ChatGPT in legal settings in the years to come.
Can ChatGPT really help legal proceedings?
This article holds up fairly well. ChatGPT recommends that it can aid trial attorneys by quickly:
- Searching for relevant legal precedent
- Researching statutes
- Referencing case law
- Draft contracts or pleadings
- Serving as an impartial, data-driven virtual mediator or arbitrator
What is important to note, is that ChatGPT only recommends itself as an aid to a trial attorney, and not as a complete stand-in.
Using artificial intelligence in a courtroom
DoNotPay, another type of artificial intelligence, is making headlines too. This “bot” uses artificial intelligence to help consumers beat parking tickets, appeal bank fees, and sue robocallers. DoNotPay was slated to be used in a courtroom to fight a traffic ticket sometime in February. Since the “bot” itself cannot physically appear, the plan was for the Defendant to use Apple AirPods to communicate with the bot, and represent himself pro se.
The use of AI in legal courtrooms hits a roadblock in dealing with bar associations and ethical constraints. Even ChatGPT will tell you, “It is not ethical for me to provide legal advice as I am not a qualified legal professional.”
At the end of the day, artificial intelligence can be a great tool to help work behind the scenes in preparing for trial, but it won’t be stepping into the shoes of an Allen attorney anytime soon.
If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident through no fault of your own, call the experienced attorneys at Allen & Allen today for a free consultation, at 866-388-1307.
