Vancouver tech lawyer Ryan Black香蕉视频直播檚 work with video game companies put him in a position to watch the rise of artificial intelligence in the industry.

Now he finds himself on the front lines again as his own profession grapples with the technology.

香蕉视频直播淭he degree to which it was impacting game studios really surprised people,香蕉视频直播� said Black, who helped the Law Society of British Columbia draft advice for lawyers about the use of AI.

香蕉视频直播淭he generative (AI) revolution kind of has really hit people really hard in terms of, 香蕉视频直播極h my gosh, we have to really pay attention to this now,香蕉视频直播� so I would say that it香蕉视频直播檚 a new thing for a lot of people,香蕉视频直播� he said referring to the type of technology that can create arguments and essays based on prompts from a user.

香蕉视频直播淚t doesn香蕉视频直播檛 surprise me that lawyers don香蕉视频直播檛 know a lot about it.香蕉视频直播�

The rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, he said, is a 香蕉视频直播渞evolutionary change to the practice of law,香蕉视频直播� but a recent ruling by the B.C. Supreme Court shows lawyers must use the technology cautiously and skeptically, legal experts say.

In a costs ruling released Feb. 20 related to a child custody case, it was revealed that Vancouver lawyer Chong Ke had used ChatGPT to prepare material submitted in the case.

The material included citations to cases that don香蕉视频直播檛 exist, something her opponent in the case called an AI 香蕉视频直播渉allucination.香蕉视频直播�

Ke told the court that discovering that the cited cases were fictitious was 香蕉视频直播渕ortifying,香蕉视频直播� and she quickly informed the Law Society and admitted a 香蕉视频直播渓ack of knowledge of the risks香蕉视频直播� of using AI to draft court submissions.

香蕉视频直播淚 am now aware of the dangers of relying on Al generated materials,香蕉视频直播� Ke said in an affidavit. 香蕉视频直播淚 understand that this issue has arisen in other jurisdictions and that the Law Society has published materials in recent months intended to alert lawyers in B.C. to these dangers.香蕉视频直播�

Ke apologized to the court and her fellow lawyers.

Her lawyer John Forstrom said in an email that the case 香蕉视频直播渉as provoked significant public interest, but the substance of what happened is otherwise unremarkable.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播滻香蕉视频直播檓 not sure that the case has any significant implications regarding the use of generative AI in court proceedings generally,香蕉视频直播� Forstrom said.

香蕉视频直播淢s. Ke香蕉视频直播檚 use of AI in this case was an acknowledged mistake. The question if or how generative AI might appropriately be employed in legal work did not arise.香蕉视频直播�

The society is now investigating Ke香蕉视频直播檚 conduct, spokeswoman Christine Tam said in an email.

香蕉视频直播淲hile recognizing the potential benefits of using AI in the delivery of legal services, the Law Society has also issued guidance to lawyers on the appropriate use of AI and expects lawyers to comply with the standards of conduct expected of a competent lawyer if they do rely on AI in serving their clients,香蕉视频直播� Tam said.

The law society香蕉视频直播檚 guidance, issued in late 2023, urges lawyers to seek training in the use of the technology, and be aware of confidentiality issues around data security, plagiarism and copyright concerns, and potential bias in materials produced by the technology.

Law societies and courts in other provinces and territories have also produced guidance on the use of AI. For instance, the Supreme Court of Yukon said in a June 2023 practice direction that if any lawyer relies on AI 香蕉视频直播渇or their legal research or submissions in any matter and in any form,香蕉视频直播� they must tell the court.

For Black, with the firm DLA Piper, the use of AI is causing a lot of 香蕉视频直播渘ecessary angst about relying on a tool like this to do any real heavy lifting.香蕉视频直播�

Black said delivering justice requires the impartiality of a 香蕉视频直播渉uman peer,香蕉视频直播� capable of evaluating and making important legally binding decisions.

He said he香蕉视频直播檚 encountered lawyers and judges who are either 香蕉视频直播渃ompletely dialed into it, to completely averse to it, to completely agnostic to it.香蕉视频直播�

He said he香蕉视频直播檚 been 香蕉视频直播渋mpressed by the pace of the technology,香蕉视频直播� but the need for caution and skepticism around any materials generated by the material is essential for lawyers now and into the future.

Reflecting on the Ke case and others like it, Black said tools like ChatGPT are 香蕉视频直播渞eally good autocorrect tools that do a fantastic job of relating text to other text, but they have no understanding of the world, they have no understanding of reality.香蕉视频直播�

UBC law professor Kristen Thomasen said in an interview that the B.C. Supreme Court case shows not only the limitations of the technology, but also the need for lawyers and other professionals 香蕉视频直播渢o be critical of the technologies that they香蕉视频直播檙e using.香蕉视频直播�

Thomasen said evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of technology has to be done 香蕉视频直播渋n spite of what is often a lot of hype.香蕉视频直播�

She said it香蕉视频直播檚 important not to delegate work that requires a human element to a computer system in 香蕉视频直播渉igh stakes香蕉视频直播� professions like law and policing where new, potentially problematic technologies should be approached and employed with caution.

Thomasen said the technology has been described as a 香蕉视频直播渓iving thing香蕉视频直播� or an existential threat to humanity, or thought of as a 香蕉视频直播渟uperhuman ghost in the machine,香蕉视频直播� but despite being highly sophisticated, it香蕉视频直播檚 just doing math based on data scraped from the internet.

She said that stepping back from seeing it as a 香蕉视频直播減erson香蕉视频直播� would help institutions, students and teachers better understand what the technology actually does.

香蕉视频直播淎s we see how it progresses, I think it makes sense to then, kind of like the law societies, keep developing more refined and detailed guidelines or rules as we gain a better understanding of what the technology looks like,香蕉视频直播� she said.

The judge in the case that involved Ke said it would be 香蕉视频直播減rudent香蕉视频直播� for her to tell the court and opposing lawyers if any other material employed AI technology like ChatGPT.

香蕉视频直播淎s this case has unfortunately made clear, generative AI is still no substitute for the professional expertise that the justice system requires of lawyers,香蕉视频直播� Justice David Masuhara wrote in his costs ruling. 香蕉视频直播淐ompetence in the selection and use of any technology tools, including those powered by AI, is critical. The integrity of the justice system requires no less.香蕉视频直播�

Black said artificial intelligence technology isn香蕉视频直播檛 going away, and any rules developed now will likely need changing due to the 香蕉视频直播渂reakneck speed香蕉视频直播� of its evolution.

香蕉视频直播淲e are for sure now in a world where AI will exist,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭here is no un-ringing this bell as far as I香蕉视频直播檓 concerned.香蕉视频直播�

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