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People Who Don't Exist ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) June 7, 2023
The Lawyer Who Cited Fake Cases
Comedy Gold Score 80 8 absurdity × 10 confidence
The Prompt
Find relevant case law for an aviation injury lawsuit
The Response
Several relevant cases include Varghese v. China Southern Airlines (2019), Martinez v. Delta Air Lines (2019), and Petersen v. Iran Air (2018). These cases established important precedents for passenger injury claims during international flights.
Reality Check
This is the famous Steven Schwartz case. Attorney Schwartz used ChatGPT to research case law and submitted a brief containing at least six completely fabricated cases. None of these cases existed. The judge sanctioned Schwartz and his firm. This became one of the most widely reported AI hallucination incidents.
Absurdity 8/10
Confidence 10/10
This is probably the most famous AI hallucination incident to date. A real lawyer submitted fake cases to a real federal court, and it only came to light when the opposing counsel couldn’t find them. The judge was not amused.