ChatGPT in the Courtroom

Since the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI on November 30th, 2022, the world has been buzzing with discussions about the potential implications of artificial intelligence on various industries, including the legal profession. This large language model has sparked debates on how it could revolutionize the way legal services are delivered, and now with the introduction of GPT4 on March 14th, 2023, the future of law education is a matter of concern for law schools that will need to redesign curricula to embrace this new technology.

Recently, a Harvard Law School blog took an in-depth look at how ChatGPT can answer the question on what the impacts of AI can be in the legal profession. The chatbot provided detailed examples of how it can be used for legal research, document generation, legal analysis, and general legal information.

The legal industry has already seen the benefits of using AI, with a top-tier international law firm, Allen & Overy (A&O), adopting an innovative artificial intelligence platform called Harvey. This platform automates and improves many areas of legal work, such as contract analysis, due diligence, litigation, and regulatory compliance, by utilizing natural language processing, machine learning, and data analytics. While A&O lawyers carefully examine the outputs, Harvey assists in creating insights, suggestions, and forecasts based on massive amounts of data, allowing attorneys to provide clients with faster, smarter, and more cost-effective solutions.

Furthermore, the potential for AI in the courtroom has also been explored by the founder of DoNotPay, Joshua Broader. This online chatbot service provides legal help in contesting speeding tickets. Joshua attempted to get a client to use the chatbot in court by retrofitting him with wearables that would use the chatbot to reply to the judge in real-time. Although this "stunt" was disallowed by the court, the technology is becoming more effective and wearables more discreet, indicating a potential for this kind of application in the future.

While some jurisdictions are still cautious about using AI in the legal profession, others have already embraced it. In a judicial first in Pakistan, a district court judge actively used ChatGPT during a bail hearing for a 13-year-old boy accused of attempting to rape a 9-year-old child.

Judge Mohammad Amir heard arguments from both sides before deciding to issue bail. In the detailed court order, the judge revealed that he had experimented with ChatGPT to see what it would propose, given the facts.

The judge asked ChatGPT 18 questions, and the bot replied with references from the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and made observations according to the facts of the case at hand.

The judge noted some mistakes, which the bot duly accepted and corrected.

The judge also asked for rehabilitative suggestions, given that the accused was a minor, and ChatGPT provided a satisfactory response.

Eventually, the judge asked ChatGPT to give its decision based on the presented facts. The chatbot played it safe by putting the ball in the judge's court and giving him the necessary information required to reach a decision.

The judge wrote in his concluding comments that the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) should look into the potential use of ChatGPT and Google Bard like platforms to aid the heavily burdened judicial system in clearing the long backlog of cases.

While the use of AI in the legal profession is still a topic of debate, its potential impact must be addressed eventually. Even as the use of artificial intelligence continues to expand in the legal industry, AI will not likely replace lawyers anytime soon. Instead, it will enhance their ability to provide their clients with faster, more innovative, and more cost-effective solutions. While there are still some concerns and challenges to be addressed, the potential benefits of AI in the legal profession are undeniable. As more law firms, legal services, and even courts adopt this technology, AI will undoubtedly continue to play an increasingly important role in shaping the legal industry's future.

Copy of the court order.