Office of the General Counsel

• Publication year: 2023
• Pages: 0042
• Citation: Vol. 28 No. 4 Pg. 0042

Office of the General Counsel Vol. 28 No. 4 Pg. 42 Georgia Bar Journal February, 2023

Meet Your New Computer Overlords

What are the ethics implications of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT?

BY PAULA FREDERICK

Mesmerized by the computer screen, your partner doesn't even look up as you enter his office. "Have you tried this?" he asks, turning the monitor so you can read along. "This ChatGPT is amazing! I asked it to write a demand letter in one of my cases. It came up with a pretty good draft in about three seconds!"

"I've tried it too," you admit. "You have to be careful—I asked it an ethics question and it gave me an answer that was only partly right. It didn't catch that Georgia's Rules of Professional Conduct aren't the same as the ABA Model."

"That's just detail!" your partner explains. "You have to admit it's at least a great starting point. It could save us lots of time—maybe we can do without that intern we've been considering!"

"Not so fast," you answer. "Do you even understand how it works? How do we know whether we're getting accurate information from this thing—every day it gives a different answer to the exact same question! And even if we're sure it's accurate, would we have to tell our clients we were using it? Do we get to bill if we're not actually doing the research?"

What are the ethics implications of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT? We asked ChatGPT to answer that question, and here's what it said:

As an AI language model, ChatGPT can be a useful tool for lawyers in many ways, such as conducting legal research, drafting legal documents and communicating with clients.

However, there are several ethical issues that lawyers should consider when using ChatGPT:

1. Confidentiality: Lawyers have a duty to maintain the confidentiality of their clients' information. When using ChatGPT, lawyers should ensure that they do not disclose any confidential information to the AI model or anyone else who may have access to the conversation.

2. Competence: Lawyers have a duty to provide competent representation to their clients. When using ChatGPT, lawyers should ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to use the AI model effectively and accurately.

3. Unauthorized Practice of Law: Lawyers have a duty to avoid...