An artificial intelligence-generated avatar was the source of contempt inside a New York courtroom after judges quickly realized the attorney arguing a case in front of them was not real. 

The scene unfolded as Jerome Dewald, a plaintiff in an employment dispute, approached the stand of the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department on March 26. 

“The appellant has submitted a video for his argument,” Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels said. “We will hear that video now.” 

The judges scolded Jerome Dewald after finding out the attorney arguing his case was actually an AI-generated avatar. (New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department/YouTube)

“The court was really upset about it,” Dewald told The Associated Press. “They chewed me up pretty good.” 

Dewald reportedly applied for permission from the court to play a prerecorded video and initially planned to use an avatar that resembled himself, but opted for a program created by a San Francisco tech company. 

The snafu was not the first time artificial intelligence has raised eyebrows in court. 

Last year, two New York lawyers were each fined $5,000 by a federal judge after they used ChatGPT to conduct legal research, leading to them citing a fictitious case. 

Additional fake rulings were cited in legal papers filed by lawyers for Michael Cohen, a formal personal attorney for President Donald Trump. Cohen took responsibility for the incident, claiming he was unaware the AI-tool his firm was using was capable of “hallucinations.” 

Dewald did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.