BrazilPublic sector2023 – ongoingFederal Court of the 1st Region (Acre), Brazil
Judge's use of ChatGPT to research case law for a ruling
Brazil’s judicial council opened an inquiry after a federal ruling cited precedents invented by ChatGPT
Problem
A federal judge in Acre faced a heavy caseload and used ChatGPT to find supporting case law.
Approach
The ruling cited non-existent precedents attributed to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). The losing party’s lawyer reported them to the regional internal affairs office. The judge described the error as a mistake caused by overwork and said a court employee had done part of the research. The National Council of Justice (CNJ) opened an inquiry in November 2023, and the regional chief inspector advised judges against using open, unapproved generative AI tools to search for precedents.
Results
No figures published
Takeaway
Fabricated precedents reached a ruling before the opposing lawyer caught them. The regional chief inspector then advised judges against using unapproved AI tools for precedent searches.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Public sector
- Business function
- Internal work and knowledge managementFinance, risk and legal
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Generative AI
- Adoption
- Off-the-shelf tool or platform
- Evidence
- Press reporting
Sources
Source summaries
Olhar Digital reported that a federal judge in Acre issued a ruling containing ChatGPT-generated passages that cited non-existent STJ precedents. The CNJ was investigating after the regional internal affairs office had stopped reviewing the matter. The judge called it a common error and said staff had been involved.
Rota Jurídica reported that the losing party’s lawyer found the fabricated STJ precedents and notified the regional internal affairs office. The CNJ opened an inquiry into the judge, who attributed the error to overwork and a court employee. Chief inspector Néviton Guedes advised judges against using open, unapproved generative AI tools for precedent research.
Full details are in the original sources.
