Supreme court justice calls out lawyer for citing AI-generated 'phantom rulings'

Supreme Court Justice Kanfi-Steinitz exposes a lawyer's use of artificial intelligence to fabricate legal precedents, highlighting growing concerns about AI's misuse in Israel's legal system.

By BINI ASCHKENASY FEBRUARY 24, 2025 00:26

Artificial Intelligence Illustration (photo credit: INGIMAGE)

A petitioner’s attorney quoted "rulings that never existed, strongly suggesting that the petitioner's representative used artificial intelligence" in a case, Justice Gila Kanfi-Steinitz of the Supreme Court said in her ruling on Sunday night.

The case involved a petition filed against a decision by the Sharia Court, which deals with family law according to Muslim law. 

While the rulings are confidential, Justice Kanfi-Steinitz wanted to address the phenomenon of lawyers using artificial intelligence in her ruling.

All technology has its disadvantages

The petition was ultimately rejected, but not before Justice Kanfi-Steinitz warned against the irresponsible use of AI by lawyers who rely on it when writing legal arguments. 

"Like any technology, this one also has disadvantages and risks that pose a new challenge to the legal world, one of which is the use of information input into artificial intelligence tools without verifying its reliability," she wrote.

Justice and Law concept. lawyer working at courtroom, selective focus (credit: INGIMAGE)

Justice Kanfi-Steinitz wrote that the ruling should be published due to the growing phenomenon of lawyers using artificial intelligence tools.