'I failed miserably’: lawyer who used ChatGPT in brief explains fake cases to judge

The case is 'schadenfreude for any lawyer,' Minkoff said, 'because lawyers have historically had difficulties with new technology.' — AP

A New York lawyer told a judge he never meant to fool anybody when he filed a court brief full of phony legal precedents invented by ChatGPT.

Steven Schwartz, who faces punishment for the brief, on Thursday asked US District Judge P. Kevin Castel for leniency. The lawyer claims he had no idea the free artificial intelligence tool could create fake case citations and court opinions.