A court hearing in the New York State Supreme Court took an unusual turn. The plaintiff, American Jerome Dewald, attempted to replace his physical presence at the session with a video created by artificial intelligence. The judge did not approve of this approach. A recording of the hearing is available on YouTube.
Dewald filed a lawsuit to protect his labor rights. He explained that he pre-recorded his opening statement because he finds public speaking difficult, stutters, and gets nervous. Dewald also stated that he had sent a request to the court asking for permission to show a video recording. He did not receive a response, and he had limited time to add his face to the video. As a result, he decided to use a ready-made avatar from a neural network.
Judge Sally Manzanet-Daniels stopped the video playback a few seconds after it started. She stated that she would like to learn more about Dewald`s request to show the video. The judge also noted that the plaintiff had previously appeared in court in person and testified. At one point, the judge suggested that Dewald might be trying to promote his AI startup. Ultimately, Dewald`s case was dismissed, and the court moved on to other cases.
Finley Holt