A court reporter in Indiana has been publicly warned by a judge after submitting an official court transcript containing errors that appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence. The incident marks the first time a stenographer has been put on notice for AI-related mistakes in court records, raising concerns about the accuracy of official trial proceedings.
Judge Paul Felix addressed the issue in a footnote of a memorandum decision filed on July 23 concerning a case about a man who sold drugs to another individual who subsequently overdosed and died. The judge detailed several significant errors found in the transcript that suggested AI transcription software had been used without proper proofreading.
What Errors Did the Judge Identify?
According to Judge Felix’s memorandum, the transcript contained multiple attribution errors that complicated the court’s review of the appeal. A motion presumably made by the State was incorrectly attributed to the trial court itself. An objection that should have been attributed to Williams, the defendant, was instead assigned to the Bailiff. Additionally, the State’s closing argument appeared in the transcript as if it had been delivered by the trial court rather than the prosecutor.
While Judge Felix noted that these errors complicated but did not substantially impede the appeal review, he emphasized the critical importance of accurate court transcripts. The judge specifically stated that based on the types of errors observed, it appears generative artificial intelligence may have assisted with transcript preparation.
How Should Court Reporters Use AI Tools?
In his warning to the court reporter, Judge Felix acknowledged that AI can improve efficiency and serve as a productive tool for many professionals. However, he stressed that individuals using such systems bear the responsibility to proofread and ensure the accuracy of the generated product. The court relies on transcripts being true and accurate representations of transcribed proceedings, making human oversight essential.
Are Lawyers Also Facing AI-Related Issues?
This incident follows numerous cases over recent years where judges have caught lawyers using AI in court filings. In May, judges in the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division spent more than 20 minutes criticizing several lawyers for AI use, calling the situation striking, concerning, disappointing, and saddening. Attorneys caught in such situations have blamed paralegals, head colds, and rushing for their mistakes.
The emergence of AI errors in official court transcripts represents a new dimension to ongoing concerns about artificial intelligence in legal proceedings. While many apps and companies offer AI-generated transcripts for court reporting, stenographers maintain that their expertise as human listeners and skilled transcribers remains extremely valuable, particularly since AI tends to guess rather than pause to resolve ambiguity before entering information into the court record.
Source: 404 Media