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AI: Not all bad?

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Rather than automatically discrediting AI-generated content, the sector—including the judiciary—needs better AI literacy, argues Dr Alan Ma
  • Recent judgments have signalled a growing need for clearer ethical guidance, practitioner safeguards and judicial consistency in handling AI-generated materials.
  • The article challenges emerging judicial tendencies to discount or discredit AI-generated content without evidentiary justification, warning of the risks of procedural unfairness and anti-innovation bias.
  • It proposes practical steps to help legal professionals adapt responsibly.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT are increasingly being used to assist with legal drafting, research, and summary writing. As access to such tools has widened, so too has the potential for unintended misuse, particularly where lawyers, litigants or tribunal users submit AI-generated content that contains inaccuracies, fabricated case law, or stylistic features that draw suspicion.

Recent decisions in England, Wales and Ireland reveal how courts and tribunals are beginning to respond to this development. This article explores seven illustrative cases, drawing attention to outright misuse but also to

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NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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