Former Trump Attorney Admits to Unknowingly Submitting AI-Generated Fake Legal Cases

Michael Cohen, the former attorney for Donald Trump, confessed to inadvertently providing his lawyer with fabricated legal references generated by artificial intelligence. The revelation came to light following the scrutiny of non-existent court rulings cited in a motion presented on Cohen's behalf in a Manhattan federal court. Cohen, who had pleaded guilty to various charges including tax evasion and campaign finance violations, disclaimed any knowledge of the AI-generated citations, attributing his use of an online research tool called Google Bard to his limited access to formal legal resources. Cohen pointed out that he mistook Google Bard for a standard search engine and was unaware of its capability to fabricate citations resembling authentic legal cases. The attorney blamed his legal counsel, David M. Schwartz, for neglecting to authenticate the citations before submission, although he urged the court to show leniency towards Schwartz, characterizing the oversight as an "honest mistake." In response, Schwartz asserted that he believed the research had been reviewed by another attorney representing Cohen, denying any direct involvement in vetting the citations. Subsequently, the misrepresented citations were reported to the judge and federal prosecutors. This incident mirrors a similar case earlier this year, where attorneys were penalized for referencing fictitious cases generated by an AI-powered chatbot. Separately, Trump faces multiple allegations in New York state court, maintaining his plea of not guilty.