John Roberts’ annual report for the Supreme Court is obsessed with the ‘latest technological frontier’ of AI—not Trump or ethics
Fortune January 2, 2024
Chief Justice John Roberts on Sunday turned his focus to the promise, and shortcomings, of artificial intelligence in the federal courts, in an annual report that made no mention of Supreme Court ethics or legal controversies involving Donald Trump.
Describing artificial intelligence as the “latest technological frontier,” Roberts discussed the pros and cons of computer-generated content in the legal profession. His remarks come just a few days after the latest instance of AI-generated fake legal citations making their way into official court records, in a case involving ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
“Always a bad idea,” Roberts wrote in his year-end report, noting that “any use of AI requires caution and humility.”
At the same time, though, the chief justice acknowledged...