“Michael Cohen’s Misstep: AI-Generated Legal Citations Lead to Courtroom Confusion
Michael Cohen’s attempt to end court supervision met an unusual hurdle due to AI-generated legal citations.
Share the complete article
179
Michael D. Cohen, sporting a casual sports jacket and an open-collar shirt.
Michael D. Cohen admitted to using Google Bard for legal citations, leading to fictitious cases being presented in court. Credit: Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times
By Benjamin Weiser and Jonah E. Bromwich
December 29, 2023
Michael D. Cohen, known for his previous role as lawyer for ex-President Donald J. Trump, faced an unexpected issue in court after presenting artificial intelligence-generated legal citations. The incident, detailed in recently unsealed court documents, involved Cohen inadvertently using fabricated legal references created by the AI program Google Bard.
These AI-generated citations were included in a motion by Cohen’s lawyer to Federal Judge Jesse M. Furman. Cohen, who had been convicted of campaign finance violations in 2018 and served a prison sentence, sought an early termination of the court’s oversight following his release and adherence to release conditions.
The situation escalated with Cohen requesting the judge’s leniency and discretion due to the confusion. In his declaration, Cohen admitted his lack of awareness regarding the potential pitfalls of emerging legal technologies like Google Bard, a text-generating service similar to ChatGPT. He confessed to not realizing that the program could produce realistic yet inaccurate legal citations and descriptions.”
