Artificial Intelligence ("AI") is appearing everywhere. Everyone is using AI to answer questions, conduct research, and solve problems. AI is a wonderful tool, but it makes mistakes. It is far from perfect.

Lawyers know that better than anyone. Many attorneys utilize AI to conduct legal research and to identify cases that support their position in a brief or motion. Unfortunately, some lawyers are not double checking the cases and holdings that AI provides. Many times AI will "hallucinate" and come up with cases and citations that do not exist. Attorneys are citing these non-existent cases in their arguments in court much to the chagrin of judges all over the country. As a result, some judges are turning these lawyers over to the Attorney Grievance Commission and assessing monetary sanctions.

However, it is not just lawyers. Pro se litigants (people representing themselves) are also using AI to do legal research without checking the authorities. They also can be sanctioned by the court.

If you use AI through Google to find an answer to a general question, you will find that sometimes its answer is outdated or flat out wrong. If you look at the sources that it cites, it may be a thread in Reddit or Facebook. Its information is only as good as the source.

AI is often a great starting point to find caselaw to support your position. You must read the cases to make sure they say what AI thinks they say and to make sure the cases actually exist. Sometimes AI gets it right. But sometimes AI creates fictional cases and holdings that do not exist in the real world. A word to the wise.