Should I ask ChatGPT for legal advice? 

Over the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly cemented its place in our daily lives. From Netflix recommendations to customer service chatbots, AI and machine learning have come a long way. 

But when you need legal advice, can it be a substitute for lawyers? 

We will look at the difference between a lawyer and AI tools like ChatGPT, the quality of information you could receive and their cost. 

What is ChatGPT? 

ChatGPT, short for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a computer program trained on a large dataset of text and code to have human-like conversations. 

It has demonstrated its capabilities for writing content, build basic code for websites and other programs, and even generate images. 

Limitations of ChatGPT 

ChatGPT is not a search engine but a predictive language tool. It generates responses by predicting the best answer to your question based on information it has learnt, which leaves it susceptible to providing out-of-date information and produces varied and unreliable answers – not ideal when seeking legal advice.  

ChatGPT also stores your personal and conversation data for future analysis, compromising your security and privacy. 

While the service is free, ChatGPT does not know your personal situation and may provide inaccurate information and insufficient jurisdictional knowledge. as seen in an infamous case involving a lawyer in the United States who was caught and fined for using ChatGPT to conduct research for a personal injury case. 

ChatGPT is still evolving, and while it may be good with basic tasks, providing legal advice is not one of them.  

Why use a lawyer? 

Every legal case is unique, and legal systems are complicated. 

When you speak to a lawyer, you get access to a wealth of legal knowledge and experience who can tailor their skillset to your situation.  

While it comes at a cost, lawyers are trained to develop complex legal arguments, and will prioritise ethical obligations over convenience – setting you up for a better outcome.  

If you need legal advice, refer to our Find a lawyer tool to find a solicitor near you.