Judge fines lawyers $31k after they use AI to generate brief with made-up citations

AI doesn't know what a judge, a gavel, or fingers are.

Two California law firms surreptitiously used AI to generate a 10-page supplemental brief, but the judge, intrigued by unfamiliar cases cited within it, looked them up only to find some did not even exist. After asking for clarification, Judge Michael Wilner was treated to "more made-up citations and…