‘Are you real?’: Why SC judges got confused over lawyer’s existence

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday witnessed a bizarre moment when the judges confused the lawyer, who appeared through a video conference, for an artificial intelligence.
As a lawyer appeared before the bench via video conferencing, justice BV Nagarathna asked, “Are you real?”
The advocate responded saying, “I can assure you Milord I am real”, as quoted by Bar and Bench.
The exchange comes in the wake of reports from New York about an AI-generated entity making an appearance in court proceedings.
“There was a news today that a person made an AI person appear before the court and argue a case.. so are you the same?” justice SC Sharma said, citing the New York incident.
A 74-year-old man representing himself before a New York appellate court stunned judges by using an AI-generated avatar to deliver part of his argument. Jerome Dewald appeared before a panel of judges from the appellate division’s first judicial department seeking to overturn a lower court’s ruling in a dispute with a former employer. Though not a licensed attorney, Dewald was allowed to present a prerecorded video in support of his argument.
The video, however, featured a much younger-looking man wearing a collared shirt and beige sweater, speaking against a blurred virtual background. The judges were quick to express confusion.
“That is not a real person,” Dewald replied, adding, “I generated that.”
The revelation drew an immediate rebuke from the judge, who said, “I don’t appreciate being misled.”