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https://www.productionai.institute/graph/events/evt-aiid-623

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Production AI Institute public record · AI Incident Database: Google Bard Allegedly Generated Fake Legal Citations in Michael Cohen Case · observed 2024-03-20
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AI Incident Database: Google Bard Allegedly Generated Fake Legal Citations in Michael Cohen Case

Michael Cohen, former lawyer for Donald Trump, claims to have used Google Bard, an AI chatbot, to generate legal case citations. These false citations were unknowingly included in a court motion by Cohen's attorney, David M. Schwartz. The AI's misuse highlights emerging risks in legal technology, as AI-generated content increasingly infiltrates professional domains.

AI Incident Database · Incident 623

Operator lens (medium): inspect D2 (output validation), D6 (autonomy oversight).

Confidence
82%
Sources
3
Entities
4
Detected
detected 850d ago

Event summary

Michael Cohen, former lawyer for Donald Trump, claims to have used Google Bard, an AI chatbot, to generate legal case citations. These false citations were unknowingly included in a court motion by Cohen's attorney, David M. Schwartz. The AI's misuse highlights emerging risks in legal technology, as AI-generated content increasingly infiltrates professional domains.

D2D6

Linked entities

  • google-bard

    organisation | 70%

  • Google

    vendor | 70%

  • michael-cohen

    organisation | 70%

  • david-m.-schwartz

    organisation | 70%

Related graph edges

EdgeTypeConfidence
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d1maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d1maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d1maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d2maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d2maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d2maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d4maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d4maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d4maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d6maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d6maps to60%
ent-vendor-google to ent-psf-d6maps to60%

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Event dates

  • Happened 12 Dec 2023

  • Detected 20 Mar 2024

Sources

  • AI Incident Database - Incident 623

    secondary | checked 9 July 2026

    Open source
  • Michael Cohen lawyer's citing of fictional case raises ChatGPT suspicions

    secondary | checked 14 Jan 2024

    Open source
  • Michael Cohen used fake cases created by AI in bid to end his probation

    primary | checked 29 Dec 2023

    Open source
Cite this record

"AI Incident Database: Google Bard Allegedly Generated Fake Legal Citations in Michael Cohen Case." https://www.productionai.institute/graph/events/evt-aiid-623 (observed 2023-12-12; retrieved 2026-07-18). PAI.

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