Man's attempt to use AI representative in court instantly backfires ...
A plaintiff’s attempt to use Artificial Intelligence in the New York State Supreme Court quickly went awry as a judge yelled across the courtroom to pull the plug.
The Incident
When Jerom Dewald, a plaintiff in an employment dispute, was scheduled to speak to the New York State Supreme Court on March 26, 2025, someone else, or rather, something else spoke instead.
Rather than delivering his own opening presentation, Dewald instead turned to Artificial Intelligence, relying on an AI avatar to do the job for him. What appeared on the courtroom television screen was a light-skinned, blonde-haired male, entirely AI-generated.
The Backlash
Mere seconds into the opening statement from the AI avatar, Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, one of five judges on the panel, interrupted and cut the video off before blasting the plaintiff for all to hear.
Dewald put in a special request prior to his court date. While he didn’t get explicit permission for an AI-generated legal assistant, he did claim to have asked for permission to play a prerecorded video in the court.
The Fallout
To the surprise of the judges on the day, Dewald’s pre-recorded video wasn’t of himself. According to the Associated Press, he sought to generate an AI avatar of himself with the help of a “San Francisco tech company.” However, as time ran short, he pivoted to using the generic avatar we all saw.
The purpose was to allow Dewald to have his opening speech delivered seamlessly, as he allegedly struggles with mumbling. The effort was for naught in the end, as the AI’s appearance in the courtroom was short-lived.
Courtroom Drama
“Okay, hold on, is that counsel for the case?” Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels questioned, proceeding to have the video turned off entirely. “I generated that. It’s not a real person,” Dewald replied.
“It would have been nice to know that when you made your application,” the judge fired back. “You did not tell me that, sir… I don’t appreciate being misled.”
“You have appeared before this court and been able to testify verbally in the past. So, either you are suffering from an ailment that prevents you from being able to articulate, or you don’t [sic].”
Aftermath
Dewald later confessed that the idea was to launch a new AI-focused company, which didn't sit well with the court. “They chewed me up pretty good,” said Dewald in an interview with the Associated Press. “The court was really upset about it.” He eventually filed an apology to the court.
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