TLDR: A UK High Court judge, Dame Victoria Sharp, has issued a significant warning to legal professionals regarding the perilous use of artificial intelligence in court proceedings, following instances where lawyers presented fabricated cases generated by AI. The judge emphasized the severe implications for justice and public confidence, cautioning that such misuse could lead to prosecution, including charges of contempt of court or perverting the course of justice.
In a landmark ruling, Dame Victoria Sharp, a High Court justice in the UK, has delivered a stark warning to lawyers concerning the unchecked use of artificial intelligence (AI) in preparing legal arguments and witness statements. This comes after multiple instances surfaced where legal professionals allegedly presented non-existent or ‘hallucinated’ cases generated by AI tools in court. The judge underscored the profound risks this poses to the integrity of the justice system and public trust.
The ruling, issued in June 2025, addressed concerns raised by lower court judges about the suspected use of generative AI tools by lawyers without adequate verification. In one notable case, a £90 million lawsuit over an alleged breach, lawyers were found to have cited fake AI-generated cases. Justice Sharp, alongside fellow judge Jeremy Johnson, chastised the lawyers involved, highlighting that providing false material as if it were genuine could be considered contempt of court, or in the most egregious scenarios, perverting the course of justice, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
While acknowledging AI as a ‘powerful technology’ and a ‘useful tool’ for the legal profession, Justice Sharp stressed that its application ‘must take place therefore with an appropriate degree of oversight, and within a regulatory framework that ensures compliance with well-established professional and ethical standards if public confidence in the administration of justice is to be maintained.’ The judges referred the lawyers in the implicated cases to their respective professional regulators, though more severe immediate action was not taken, partly due to mitigating circumstances such as juniority and lack of supervision in one instance.
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This development mirrors similar challenges faced by judicial systems globally, as AI programs like ChatGPT become more widely accessible. The Bar Council and the Bar Standards Board have already published official guides on the ethical and professional use of AI, yet the recent incidents suggest these guidelines may be ‘insufficient to address the misuse of artificial intelligence.’ The judge urged law firms to promptly implement measures to mitigate the non-professional use of AI systems by junior practitioners, emphasizing that future similar conduct could result in severe sanctions, including referral to the police or prison terms.
