While the case is apparently the first time a judge has admitted to using an AI text generator like ChatGPT, some courts have—controversially—already begun using automated decision-making tools in determining sentencing or whether criminal defendants are released on bail. The use of these systems in courts has been heavily criticized by AI ethicists, who point out that they regularly reinforce racist and sexist stereotypes and amplify pre-existing forms of inequality.

A Judge Just Used ChatGPT to Make a Court Decision