AI-Generated Video Argument Sparked Courtroom Confusion

A man representing himself in a New York court stunned judges when he used an artificial intelligence (AI) generated avatar to deliver part of his legal argument.

The incident took place on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, at the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department.

Jerome Dewald, a 74-year-old entrepreneur from New York, was the plaintiff (a person who brings a case to court against someone else) in an ongoing employment dispute. He had received permission from the court to show a pre-recorded video as part of his defense.

But within seconds of the video playing, the courtroom was unsettled.

“That is not a real person” 

The clip featured a clean, young-looking man in a shirt and sweater. He began by addressing the court and introducing himself before the judges.

However, confusion quickly arose and Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels interrupted the video. She questioned whether the man on screen was Dewald’s lawyer.

Dewald admitted that the person in the video was not a real person, explaining that he had generated the fake person. Dewald said, “I generated that. That is not a real person.”