In a commentary posted on Oct. 24, 2023, on Law.com, the author warned of the danger posed by artificial intelligence (AI) displacing the judgment and experience of the trial lawyer: “The introduction of AI into the core of a trial, where the stakes are high and justice hangs in the balance, can only be described as a danger to the legal profession.” The trial in question was the criminal trial of the hip-hop artist Pras Michel, a member of the group Fugees. There, the convicted defendant Michel filed a motion for a new trial based on the ineffective assistance of counsel.

According to the commentary, Michel’s trial counsel relied on an AI-generated argument as a crucial part of his closing argument. Citing the analysis from Politico on the motion for a new trial, Michel’s new counsel contended that trial counsel’s closing made “frivolous claims, misunderstanding the requisite elements, muddling the schemes, and willfully ignoring critical vulnerabilities in the government’s case.”