In April, Pras Michel of the Fugees was found guilty in a political conspiracy trial that featured testimony from Leonardo DiCaprio, centered on money laundering and improper lobbying efforts. Now he's asking for a new trial because of a botched closing argument his lawyer created with generative AI.
As Reuters reports, a newly filed brief on Pras' behalf requests a retrial on the grounds that his previous attorney, David Kenner, used an experimental generative AI program called EyeLevel.AI to craft a disastrous closing statement, blundering the "the single most important portion" of Pras' defense.
According to the brief, from Pras' new legal team at ArentFox Schiff, "Kenner's closing argument made frivolous arguments, misapprehended the required elements, conflated the schemes and ignored critical weaknesses in the government's case." Elsewhere, it continues, "The AI program failed Kenner, and Kenner failed Michel. The closing argument was deficient, unhelpful and a missed opportunity that prejudiced the defense."
It's true: AI-generated writing isn't nearly as good as writing by a skilled human being! Pras and his new lawyer have a point here. Another issue they raise in their brief is that Kenner and his legal partner Alon Israely appear to have a financial stake in CaseFile Connect, a "technology partner" to EyeLevel.AI, and that Kenner intended to use the Pras case as a chance to tout CaseFile Connect — an argument supported by a May 10 press release trumpeting Kenner's closing argument as "the first use of generative AI in a federal trial."
According to a statement from EyeLevel.AI, Kenner and Israely do not have a financial stake in their company. "EyeLevel's AI for legal is a powerful tool for human lawyers to make human decisions, but do so faster and with far greater information at their fingertips," the company wrote in response to the brief. "EyeLevel is able to ingest and understand complex legal transcripts based solely on the facts of the case as presented in court." Maybe not, EyeLevel.AI. Maybe not.
