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18 October 2024 / Luke McGrath
Issue: 8090 / Categories: Features , Profession , Artificial intelligence , Technology , Career focus
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AI hallucination: together in electric dreams?

Luke McGrath looks at the issue of AI hallucination & its implications for lawyers
  • Explains what AI hallucinations are, what risks they present and how the US, EU and UK are responding.

Many of us will have doubtless read about the New York lawyer who used Chat GPT to help write a legal brief. In the brief, six of the submitted cases were fictitious; Chat GPT invented them and even reassured the lawyer concerned, Steven Schwartz, that they were real, saying they could be found on LexisNexis and Westlaw. Schwartz was subsequently penalised for his actions with a $5,000 fine.

What are AI hallucinations?

This case is an example of AI ‘hallucination’, where an AI chatbot, like Chat GPT, invents something, like a case, in an effort to answer its user’s questions. Given the supposed ‘super intelligence’ of AI, one would assume that these hallucinations are rare. This, however, is far from true. A Stanford University study found that AI chatbots hallucinate between 58% and

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Sheffield expansion continues with appointment of commercial property partner

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson strengthens banking and finance practice with latest partner appointment Paul Duggan

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Employment partner joins Ward Hadaway

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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