Judge uses ChatGPT to write ruling
updated on 10 October 2023
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British judge weighs up the pros and cons of AI, after using ChatGPT to write a ruling. Lord Justice Birss, a Court of Appeal judge, had confidence in ChatGPT’s answers but urges others not to rely on the AI tool for topics where they have no background knowledge.
Birss specialises in IP law and described the tool as “jolly useful” in creating a brief overview of a particular area of law. He explained that, while he knew the answer to the question he posed to ChatGPT, instead of writing it, he used AI and then “put… in [his] judgment”. He concluded that it has “great potential” to increase efficiency.
However, AI has been proven to present false information on occasion, according to Sky News. For example, earlier this year, two New York lawyers used ChatGPT to find legal precedents to support their client’s personal injury claim against an airline. However, many of the citations generated by ChatGPT and used in the lawyers’ legal brief were found to be fake. The lawyers were fined as a result.
Birss stressed the importance of checking AI-generated work to avoid making mistakes. He commented that he takes "full personal responsibility for what [he puts] in [his] judgment” so, while AI is a useful tool, he won’t give it the final say.
