Curious case of ChatGPT fooling the court

LoDuca (left) and Schwartz leaving the Federal District Court in Manhattan. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

A JUDGE in Manhattan, New York City, imposed a US$5,000 fine on two lawyers who gave him a legal brief full of made-up cases and citations, all generated by the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT.

The judge, P. Kevin Castel of US District Court, criticised the lawyers harshly and ordered them to send a copy of his opinion to each of the real-life judges whose names appeared in the fictitious filing.