In our inbox every day is a company touting what it’s doing with AI, be that integrating ChatGPT into its existing products or using some form of machine learning to do nothing of any significance. But this morning, what appeared was a legal claim against OpenAI and its ChatGPT product, one made by Australian law firm Gordon Legal.
Gordon Legal of Robodebt Class Action fame is suing ChatGPT and its maker on behalf of a Victorian Mayor. Here’s what the firm said in a statement:
“Gordon Legal has launched a ground-breaking defamation claim against OpenAI’s ChatGPT on behalf of Hepburn Shire Council Mayor, Cr. Brian Hood. It will be a landmark defamation claim against an artificial intelligence (AI) in Australia.”
Gordon Legal is alleging that Hood’s reputation was defamed by the ChatGPT AI, saying it incorrectly identified him as an individual who faced charges related to a foreign bribery scandal, rather than his actual role as the whistle-blower in the case.
Here’s a bit of an explainer from the law firm:
“Mr Hood worked for Note Printing Australia (NPA) – a Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiary – in the early 2000s, when he alerted authorities to officers of NPA and another subsidiary Securency paying bribes to overseas agencies to win contracts to print banknotes. Mr Hood was not charged with any offences; instead, he was the person who alerted the authorities to the wrongdoing and was praised for his bravery in coming forward.”
Gordon Legal is alleging that ChatGPT made several false statements when asked about Hood’s involvement in the bribery case.
Asking ChatGPT who I am returns an absolute trove of errors, and the AI system has come under continuous scrutiny since it first launched about how incorrect the information it spits out is. It’s certainly an interesting area to pursue legally, and it is going to be history-making watching this case unfold.