FAKE AI LAWYERS by Zac Shaffer

The time of AI has been upon us for years now. Every
industry, from medicine to sales, has been affected, for
better or worse, and the practice of law is no different.
Whether a firm is using AI software to better service its
clients or a solo practitioner is using Google AI to start their
legal research on a topic they haven’t approached yet, AI has
fully invaded the practice. While there are so many great
aspects to using AI, you still must look a gift horse in the
mouth.

While there are numerous advantages for clients, attorneys,
and the general public alike, there are horror stories from AI
use. One of the biggest problems facing the legal community
is fake AI advertisements. At some point, someone in your
life has been duped by these fake AI ads. But what are these
fake AI ads doing that is so wrong?

First, AI generators can create fake advertisements by using
an attorney’s or a firm’s likeness without permission.
Nowadays, deep fakes are not just used by Hollywood
directors or for political attacks. They are used simply for
views, likes, or attention. Simply put, they are clickbait. While
there may be some out there using AI to create genuine
messages and supporting these attorneys and firms, that is
usually not the case. They can create hateful or disparaging
ads, and due to the level of online protection, will likely never
be preventable.

Second, AI ads can facilitate false information to the public.
Whether that is false information about facts or incorrect
legal advice, fake advertisements can destroy the legal
community from the outside. I can still remember speaking
with clients who seemingly all had the same AI advertisement
come across their feed: “If you were in an accident, don’t
listen to your attorney. Regardless of what they tell you, there
is a new law in Ohio that was passed that entitles you to
$100,000, just for being in an accident.” This was recited to
me numerous times, and trying to explain that the internet is
not always correct is like telling people that certain websites
cannot be trusted (i.e. a website that ends in -pedia). People
may know that they cannot use this information as gospel,
but we all still use these websites for basic information.

At the heart of the issue is the effect that fake AI
advertisements have on the overall trust of the legal field.
People spend hours of their days on social media. They
are surrounded daily by quick access to information that
does not require factual support or validation. If they
continually receive information that contradicts what
their attorney is advising them to do, trust issues are
bound to occur.

In order to protect yourself, your firm, and your clients,
the best practice is to know these AI ads are out there. By
recognizing they exist and expecting your clients to raise
questions or concerns about what they are hearing, you
have the unique ability to understand your clients’
concerns and the ability to advise your clients of the
reason they placed their trust in your hands. As a society,
we are not going to move away from AI. Rather, the clear
trend is that we will continue utilizing AI as we grow.
These issues affect us all, as a profession and as people;
we must continue to share information and stop the
spread of misinformation.