# Can you trust AI for legal advice? Tulsa attorney explains the risks - News On 6

*Источник: News On 6*
*Дата: 2026-07-15*
*Язык: en*

**Кратко:** Artificial intelligence has become a popular tool for everything from writing emails to planning vacations, but can it be trusted for legal advice? Tulsa attorney Lashandra Peoples-Johnson says AI can be helpful, but it should never replace advice from a qualified attorney or careful legal research.

Artificial intelligence has become a popular tool for everything from writing emails to planning vacations, but can it be trusted for legal advice?
Tulsa attorney Lashandra Peoples-Johnson says AI can be helpful, but it should never replace advice from a qualified attorney or careful legal research. She joined News On 6 at 9 a.m. to explain how lawyers use AI, the risks of relying on it and when the technology can be beneficial.
How lawyers are using AI
Peoples-Johnson said attorneys are increasingly using AI to improve efficiency, particularly during the early stages of legal research.
“It provides very good information,” she said.
Rather than replacing traditional research, she said AI serves as a starting point by identifying statutes, case law and other legal resources. Attorneys must then verify whether the information is accurate, current and applies to a client’s specific case.
That verification process also includes determining whether a case is binding in the appropriate jurisdiction.
For example, a case from New York may address a similar legal issue, but an Oklahoma court would generally rely on applicable Oklahoma law.
What are AI “hallucinations”?
One of the biggest concerns with artificial intelligence is what experts call an AI hallucination.
Peoples-Johnson said hallucinations occur when AI confidently provides information that simply isn’t true.
That can include fake court cases, nonexistent statutes or inaccurate legal precedent that appears legitimate to someone unfamiliar with the law.
“It looks real,” she said. “People who are not attorneys can go and use this as real law thinking that it’s real because it looks real.”
Because most people haven’t been trained to verify legal authorities, those mistakes can be difficult to recognize.
What could happen if you rely on AI-generated legal advice?
Using incorrect legal information can have serious consequences for both attorneys and people representing themselves in court.
Peoples-Johnson pointed to the 2023 case Mata v. Avianca, in which a New York attorney was sanctioned after submitting legal filings that cited court cases generated by ChatGPT that did not exist.
She said judges don’t prohibit attorneys from using AI, but they do expect lawyers to verify every citation and legal authority before presenting it in court.
That same expectation often applies to people representing themselves.
Failing to verify AI-generated information could result in sanctions, weaken a legal case or even cause someone to lose important legal rights.
Common risks for consumers using AI
Peoples-Johnson said relying too heavily on AI for legal guidance can create several problems, including:
- Filing the wrong paperwork.
- Missing court deadlines or statutes of limitation.
- Using outdated laws or legal requirements.
- Accidentally waiving important legal rights because AI relied on old information.
She said laws change frequently, and AI may not always provide the most current legal information.
Be careful what you share with AI
People should also think twice before entering sensitive legal information into an AI platform.
Peoples-Johnson said users should understand how an AI service handles their information before sharing details about an active legal matter.
Sensitive personal or case information may not always be protected the way conversations with an attorney are.
When AI can be helpful
Despite the risks, Peoples-Johnson said artificial intelligence can still be a valuable tool when used appropriately.
She recommends using AI to:
- Explain complex legal concepts in plain language.
- Organize documents and timelines.
- Help prepare questions to ask an attorney.
- Create a rough draft of legal documents before having an attorney review them.
She said AI works best as a research and organizational tool, not as a substitute for legal advice.
“Get it started and then have an attorney verify that it’s correct and kind of tweak it,” she said.
While AI continues to reshape many professions, Peoples-Johnson said one principle remains unchanged: Always verify legal information before relying on it in court or making important legal decisions.

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