A.I. ‘Hallucinations’ Created Errors in Court Filing, Top Law Firm Says
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- Sullivan & Cromwell, a prestigious Wall Street law firm, apologized to a federal judge for submitting a court filing containing numerous errors generated by artificial intelligence, including fabricated case citations.
- The errors were identified in a recent motion filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, with opposing lawyers discovering the mistakes and the firm providing a detailed ledger of about three dozen errors.
- Some errors were attributed to AI "hallucinations," while others were clerical mistakes unrelated to AI, highlighting challenges in the legal profession's use of AI tools.
- Sullivan & Cromwell is notably representing former President Trump in several appeals, including a 2024 criminal conviction case, underscoring the firm's high-profile clientele amid the controversy.
- The incident reflects broader concerns in the legal industry about reliance on AI, which can assist with research but also generate inaccurate or false legal information.
