US | Incident Report
Regulatory Action
2026-01-08
NY Unified Court System AI committee annual report proposes guardrails for AI in courts
AI Model: Microsoft Copilot Chat (Microsoft)
I. Executive Summary
New York’s Unified Court System publicly released an inaugural annual report from its Advisory Committee on AI and the Courts.
The report describes existing guardrails for judges and court staff (including training and use restrictions) and discusses proposed approaches for attorney use of generative AI in court filings.
Media coverage highlighted that the committee did not recommend an outright ban on lawyers using AI to prepare filings, while stressing responsible use and oversight.
II. Key Facts
- New York State Unified Court System announced the Advisory Committee’s inaugural annual report (dated Jan. 8, 2026).
- The report references an interim AI-use policy (adopted Oct. 2025) requiring AI training and restricting use to approved platforms, including Microsoft Copilot Chat.
- The report includes recommendations spanning evidence reliability, bias/equity, court administration, and professional responsibility.
- The committee proposed a model rule framing attorney/litigant GenAI use in court papers as permissible if undertaken conscientiously.
- The court system cited confidentiality, misinformation, and bias risks as central governance concerns.
III. Regulatory & Ethical Implications
Establishes a high-visibility, court-system-led framework likely to influence practitioner duty-of-competence and supervision expectations for AI-assisted drafting and evidence handling.
The combination of approved-platform constraints, training requirements, and proposed “conscientious use” standards may be cited in future motion practice (e.g., authenticity challenges) and in professional responsibility analyses when AI-assisted submissions are inaccurate or misleading.