UK Court Warns Lawyers of ‘Severe’ Penalties for Using Fake AI-Generated Citations

The High Court of England and Wales, presided over by Judge Victoria Sharp, has emphasized the need for lawyers to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in legal work. In a recent ruling, she asserted that generative AI tools like ChatGPT are unreliable for legal research, producing seemingly plausible but potentially incorrect information. While acknowledging that lawyers can use AI, Sharp stressed they must verify the accuracy of AI-generated research against authoritative sources to fulfill their professional responsibilities. This ruling follows cases where lawyers submitted filings with numerous incorrect or fictitious citations, one involving a lawyer whose citations included non-existent cases. Although the court chose not to initiate contempt proceedings, Sharp warned that failure to comply with professional obligations could lead to severe sanctions, including public admonition or referrals to regulatory bodies. She intends to share this ruling with professional organizations like the Bar Council and the Law Society.

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