In a bizarre courtroom scene, a 74-year-old man left a group of New York judges agog after arguing his case before them using an avatar created by artificial intelligence. At issue was Jerome Dewald, who chose to represent himself following a prior judgment against him.
Even though he had no legal experience, Dewald was ready to present his argument. Rather than talking himself, he played a pre-recorded video that showed a younger man wearing a blue collared shirt and a beige sweater. Judges looked confused as the video started.
Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels declared, “The appellant has submitted a video for his argument. Ok. We will hear that video now.”
World’s First AI Lawyer, Gets UnPlugged In Live Court Setting.
In late March 2025, a New York appeals ourt encountered an unusual situation during a hearing or an employment dispute.
Jerome Dewald, a 74-year-old etiree representing himself in the lawsuit, had sought ermission… pic.twitter.com/E6RDmH5VOF
— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) April 10, 2025
In seconds of the video being played, the courtroom’s confusion was replaced with alarm. Justice Manzanet-Daniels inquired, “Ok, hold on. Is that counsel for the case?”
AI Revelation Leaves the Bench Stunned
Dewald replied calmly, “I generated that. That is not a real person,” divulging that the man in the video was not an actual lawyer but an avatar made by artificial intelligence.
The judge at once called for the video to be switched off. “It would have been helpful to have known that when you applied. I don’t like being deceived,” she told him, obviously incensed by the lack of openness.
Dewald Apologizes: No Desire to Deceive
After the hearing, Dewald provided the court with a written apology. In his letter, he wrote that he had no desire to mislead anyone and used only the avatar to convey what he wanted to say because, at times, he tends to mumble or get his words mixed up.
“My purpose was never to mislead but instead to express my arguments in the most effective way possible,” he explained. “Still, I admit that full disclosure and transparency need always come first.”
Dewald initially intended to construct an electronic image of himself but experienced “technical challenges.” Thus, he opted for a generic computer-generated avatar to use in court presentation.
This incident isn’t the first time AI has caused controversy in court. In June 2023, two lawyers in New York were fined $5,000 each for using ChatGPT to conduct legal research, which resulted in them citing fabricated case law generated by the AI tool.
Ethical Concerns Over AI in the Legal System
The case has generated new concerns over the use of artificial intelligence in court proceedings. Experts caution that while AI may provide efficiency, it also brings ethical and procedural issues that need to be confronted as its usage continues to increase across different domains.
