Source: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly details the recent issuance of comprehensive guidelines by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) concerning the use of generative artificial intelligence by legal professionals. The SJC emphasizes that while AI can enhance legal research and efficiency, the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy and ethical integrity of court filings remains with the human attorney. These guidelines are designed to prevent the submission of hallucinated citations and to ensure that lawyers maintain active supervision over any machine-generated output.

The court's instructions also address the critical issue of client confidentiality, warning practitioners against inputting sensitive case data into public AI models. The guidelines mandate that attorneys must disclose to the court and opposing counsel when significant portions of a brief or research paper have been generated by AI. This regulatory step is seen as a necessary move to protect the adversarial process and maintain public trust in the judiciary. By setting these standards, the Massachusetts SJC provides a clear framework for how the legal profession should adapt to the rapid integration of intelligent systems in courtroom activities.