Judge of Lisbon will have used AI to make a judgment. “The law quoted does not exist”

Superior Council of the Judiciary opened disciplinary proceedings. Judge denies the use of AI, although the judgment contains Crassos errors at various levels.

The Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM) confirmed on Friday the opening of a disciplinary proceeding to a judge of the Lisbon Relations, on suspicion that he used Artificial Intelligence (IA), such as ChatgPT, in the preparation of a judgment linked to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Lisbon, with millions of euros to noise.

The case, which November last year, involves three magistrates. It was the defense of HELENA LOPES DA COSTAformer PSD deputy accused in the process of injuring Santa Casa in a million euros in a fraudulent direct adjustment scheme, who warned of the situation.

“The mentioned law does not exist. The jurisprudence so little … We can only be in the presence of some gigantic and flagrant lapse”pointed out the defense of Helena Lopes da Costa. There are 12 judgments in the document presented by the judge that were not found in any official case law, says the defense team.

The judgment “has various resemblances, to the eye of an average observer, with a text generated by artificial intelligence or some other tool (or intrusion, abuse, addiction, what it may be) of a computer or digital nature,” they write: “An eventual automatic, computerized and artificial generation.”

At issue is an appeal filed by the Public Prosecution Service (MP). In February 2023, an instructional judge decided not to bring an old managers of the Holy House of Mercy, accused of irregularities in direct adjustments. The MP appealed and the Lisbon list eventually gave it reason, in the judgment now under suspicion.

The judge rapporteur of the case, Alfredo Costadenies having resorted to AI, to the newspaper. Still, the CSM announced that, after preliminary investigation, it has decided to establish a disciplinary proceedings, which could determine responsibilities.

Among the defendants in the case, in addition to Helena Lopes da Costa, then vowel of the institution, are her former advisor Claudia Manso Preto and several suppliers with party calls, including figures linked to the PSD and PS. The case dates back to 2016, when the institution was presided by Pedro Santana Lopes.