MOBILE, Ala. ( WALA - Stephen Yeager, owner of a Theodore-based company that assists attorneys with digital forensics, research, and jury consultation, considers artificial intelligence to be a "game-changer."
Things that once required hours can now be done in minutes.
It's an advanced tool," noted Yeager, who owns Divine Litigation Services. "I mean, it performs tasks that no other tool can handle, and it does so in a remarkably quick manner—particularly within the legal industry.
However, Yeager stated that a person must examine any content generated by an artificial intelligence system.
"One of the principles of AI ethics is to verify, confirm, and check repeatedly," he stated.
Experienced attorneys have faced challenges with AI systems throughout the nation. The latest case occurred this week in Mobile, where a lawyer representing alleged drug “kingpin” Glennie Antonio McGee admitted submitting a legal document generated by an AI system that referenced "fabricated" cases.
Yeager mentioned that he employs artificial intelligence to assist attorneys in reviewing evidence, which in certain instances may consist of thousands of pages. He provides an example from the case of Marco Antonio Perez, who is on death row for murdering a mobile police officer One problem during that trial was determining if Perez recognized the officer as a police official.
Yeager mentioned that Perez's attorney group obtained audio recordings from over 70 witnesses. The artificial intelligence transformed these into written records, after which Yeager stated he questioned how many individuals observed the officer's identification and how many shots they could hear.
"Within half an hour, we found the solution," he stated. "In less than thirty minutes, we got the response," he mentioned. "It took us just twenty-five minutes to find the answer," he remarked. "We had the answer within thirty minutes," he added. "After only thirty minutes, we were able to determine the result," he explained.
The technology can perform advanced analysis, Yeager noted. He referenced a major medical malpractice case he worked on. He mentioned his desire to rapidly identify mentions of knee surgeries within thousands of pages of medical records. The AI not only swiftly provided two relevant findings but also—without being asked—highlighted additional potential references by identifying the procedures through their five-digit Current Procedural Technology Codes found in the documents.
Likewise, Yeager mentioned, a van was central to a recent Mobile capital murder case. He stated that an AI search found 13 references to a van and subsequently recommended reviewing other instances of "ban," which the system determined could be a typographical error in the recorded documents.
Legal professionals are leveraging identical advanced tools to assist with preparing legal documents and filings. These systems can handle tasks ranging from identifying relevant case law that backs up the attorney's position to composing the actual wording of the document.
This is what attorney James Johnson did by using a Microsoft product derived from the open-source ChatGPT to assist in preparing a document requesting to delay McGee's drug trial. However, when the prosecution responded, they discovered that some of the cited cases were fabricated.
Yeager mentioned that numerous businesses promote low-cost AI-based legal research tools that fail to deliver as advertised. He noted that pricier options, such as those associated with Westlaw and Lexis, tend to be more reliable.
"It's not Google. You understand what I'm saying? ... They use their own legal databases and have their own models that set them apart from a ChatGPT-type program developed by OpenAI," he mentioned.
However, specialists mention that even top-tier artificial intelligence systems can present certain disadvantages. Joe Patrice, a senior editor at Above the Law, stated to FOX10 News that these tools won't substitute for legal cases but could potentially misunderstand them.
And that's the complex aspect that even AI attempts to simplify," he stated. "And if you're not conscious of what it's doing, and understand that you must verify it personally, you could be misled.
McGee probably doesn't need to concern himself with this matter anymore. new lawyer Jason Darley, who claims he doesn't utilize artificial intelligence.
"If I don't see it with my own eyes, I can't believe it," he stated.