Lawyers have urged firms relying on artificial intelligence systems to be ultra-cautious and sceptical about the information they are being given, following one of the most talked-about tech failures yet.
It was revealed in a judgment last week that international firm Pinsent Masons had referred itself to the Solicitors Regulation Authority after twice misleading the court based on search results from an internal AI system.
Three solicitors, ranging from partner level to junior lawyer, will also be subject to enquiries from the SRA as it establishes – as ICC Judge Mullen alluded to – whether there was a breach of the duty not to mislead the court.
Letters were sent to the court which misapplied the law based on responses from the junior lawyer’s chats with AI. These letters were checked and signed off by senior colleagues who were not aware of how AI was being relied upon in the research and draft phases. Even when the AI warned its answers may not be entirely reliable, there appeared to have been no further checks to verify what it was saying.
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