Is ChatGPT usable for obtaining legal advice?

Is ChatGPT usable for obtaining legal advice? 

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How accurate is ChatGPT regarding legal advice? 

        This avenue needs far more extensive testing, and without real lawyers checking and analyzing the ChatGPT responses it is very difficult to get an accurate analysis. However, some tests done by others indicate that while ChatGPT functions acceptably for straightforward questions, it falters when given more complicated legal questions and may neglect legal pitfalls. For instance, this test done by Linklaters found that when asked whether a Data Protection Officer must be appointed in a hospital, ChatGPT correctly answered yes, but incorrectly stated that a Chief Information Officer could take on the role of a DPO; this  according to Linklaters would cause a conflict of interest and is therefore incorrect legal advice. Although we cannot ascertain why ChatGPT believed a CIO could take on the role of a DPO, from a 'human' perspective this feels like a mistake that most people who are not legally trained would make given that both a CIO and DPO would have duties relating to managing and developing information policies. 

What are these concerns? 

        These concerns have been echoed by many law firms, who often state that such generative AI may be able to provide answers to simple legal questions but it will often be slighlty (or completely) inaccurate when nuances of law come into play that ChatGPT may not have 'learned', especially for newly developing legal fields. Discrimination is also a major concern since ChatGPT learns and generates answers from sources which may have embedded bias. Confidentiality is another issue, as ChatGPT would require the user to input personal information if they desire a more accurate answer to their specific situation. Since public AI chatbots are not private, inputting confidential information is inadvisable and likely illegal if one is inputting a client's confidential information. OpenAI have explicitly warned users that they may save data inputted by users to further develop the AI, and have advised not to input sensitive information. Despite this, companies such as Samsung have already had problems of employees inputting sensitive data, while other companies such as Verizon and J.P. Morgan Chase have banned its use. Italy's privacy watchdog has banned OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) from processing Italian citizens' data at all due to privacy concerns. 

What are the ways to use ChatGPT for legal advice? 

        On the other hand, many believe that the best use of ChatGPT is to "provide a starting point" by identifying the major issues and relevant laws or rights, which alone is valuable for many people who are not as well-versed in the law. Some repeated phrases stick out in prompts listed by other prompt testers, such as asking ChatGPT what the legal options/protections/steps/requirements/consequences are to a particular issue. It has also been noted that ChatGPT often requires prodding by the prompter to give more detailed answers on particular points. Generally, it seems that the more details are given and the more specific an answer is demanded, the better the quality of the answer albeit at the risk of incorrect and bizarre answers occasionally. Fact-checking the answers given by ChatGPT separately is essential, and as stated prior should be used more as a starting point than a final answer. 

Thank you for reading, and I hope you found it informative and interesting.

If you are interested in discussing more about how ChatGPT can be used in such legal contexts, or have any questions, contact me at hello@simplawfy.ca 

Disclaimer: This story is only intended to be used for educational or recreational purposes. Responses by ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots, if mentioned in this story, should NOT be relied upon as factual. NO legal advice is being provided, and users must understand that there is NO attorney client relationship between you and the story publisher. The story should NOT be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state/country.