Lawyer fined $5,000 over AI witnesses in murder case

New Mexico Supreme Court Punishes Lawyer for Including Artificial Intelligence Witness and False Police Statements in His Client’s Conviction Appeal, According to Report Reuters. In a statement Wednesday, the court fined Steven Aaron $5,000 and found him guilty of contempt for failing to “verify the factual statements and validity of his AI-generated statement.”

The case file states that the report “contained false testimony from completely fabricated witnesses” as well as “false testimony” about the shooter’s clothing and appearance. Judge C. Shannon Bacon questioned why Aarons was unaware of the risks associated with AI during an August hearing in which he admitted to using ChatGPT and thinking it would create a “bulletproof summary” of the trial. “Counselor, do you watch the news? Do you listen to the radio? Do you read anything about what’s going on in the world?” Judge Bacon stated, according to Reuters. “Because the problem with lawyers relying on AI hallucinations is an incredible story every single day.”

“I am remorseful, but I hope that the disciplinary board will recognize that this was an honest mistake,” Aarons said in a statement to Reuters.