Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
California targets attorney use of artificial intelligence through new legislation
Proposed legislation in California is targeting lawyers who use generative artificial intelligence to draft legal filings. (Image from Shutterstock)
Proposed legislation in California is targeting lawyers who use generative artificial intelligence to draft legal filings.
Introduced by California Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg, a Democratic state senator from Santa Ana, California, the new bill codifies many guidelines for the use of AI in the practice of law that were published by the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct in 2023, according to Law.com.
Among its provisions, it requires attorneys to remove confidential personal identifying information from AI systems and to verify the accuracy of AI-produced material.
“What this does is basically require a human to be engaged so that, to the extent that there are cases cited, there are briefs that are filed, a human has to take responsibility for them and has to disclose whether or not artificial intelligence was used in its presentation,” Umberg reportedly said Tuesday during a hearing on the bill.
The bill does not create new sanctions for attorneys who violate its provisions, Law.com reports. However, Law.com also reports, courts can fine attorneys for not ensuring that they file accurate information under existing state law.
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