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CBC
15 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
When lawyers lean on AI, fake cases could lead to a 'miscarriage of justice,' experts say
Legal experts say an Ontario judge's criticism of a lawyer who seemingly leaned on artificial intelligence to prepare court materials is putting the spotlight on the dangers of AI tools that can produce false or fictitious information. That, in turn, can have real-life consequences, they say. Fake cases, known as AI hallucinations, can make their way into legal submissions if a lawyer doesn't take additional steps to make sure the cases actually exist, says Amy Salyzyn, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa's faculty of law. Lawyers routinely suggest what past decisions — or case law — a court should apply in their clients' cases. Judges then determine what cases to consider. The problem arises when lawyers use generative AI tools that can produce made-up information, Salyzyn says. A judge making a decision could therefore be presented with incorrect or false information. "You don't want a court making a decision about someone's rights, someone's liberty, someone's money, based on something totally made-up," Salyzyn told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Friday. "There's a big worry that if one of these cases did potentially sneak through. You could have a miscarriage of justice." Her comments come after Justice Joseph F. Kenkel, a judge with the Ontario Court of Justice, ordered criminal defence lawyer Arvin Ross on May 26 to refile his defence submissions for an aggravated assault case, finding "serious problems" in them. Kenkel said one case cited appeared to be fictitious, while several case citations referred to unrelated civil cases. Still other citations led to a case named that was not the authority for the point being made. "The errors are numerous and substantial," Kenkel said. Kenkel ordered Ross to prepare a "new set of defence submissions" ensuring that: the paragraphs and pages are numbered; case citations include a "pinpoint cite" to the paragraph that explains the point being made; case citations are checked and include links to CanLII, a non-profit organization that provides online access to legal decisions, or other sites to ensure they are accurate. "Generative AI or commercial legal software that uses GenAI must not be used for legal research for these submissions," Kenkel said. CBC Toronto contacted Ross but he declined the request for an interview, saying in a statement that he's "focused on complying with the court's directions." French lawyer tracking cases with AI hallucinations The case, known as R. v. Chand, is the second Canadian case to have been included on an international list, compiled by French lawyer Damien Charlotin, of legal decisions in "cases where generative AI produced hallucinated content." In many cases, the lawyers on the list used fake citations. The list identifies 137 cases so far. In the list's first Canadian case, Zhang v. Chen, B.C. Justice D. M. Masuhara reprimanded lawyer Chong Ke on Feb. 23, 2024 for inserting two fake cases into a notice of application that were later discovered to have been created by ChatGPT. The judge, who described the errors as "alarming," ordered Ke to pay court costs but not special costs. "As this case has unfortunately made clear, generative AI is still no substitute for the professional expertise that the justice system requires of lawyers," Masuhara wrote in a ruling on costs. "Competence in the selection and use of any technology tools, including those powered by AI, is critical. The integrity of the justice system requires no less." Salyzyn said the phenomenon where lawyers file court materials that cite non-existent cases is a global one and it's arising because AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are not information retrieval devices but tools that match patterns in language. The result can be inaccurate information that looks "quite real" but is in fact fabricated. AI tools "can put things together that look like legal cases. Sometimes they might reference real legal cases too, if it appears a lot in the data that it has consumed. But fundamentally, the tool is kind of predicting the next words to go together, and sometimes it predicts and mixes together citations that look quite real but don't accord with anything in reality," she told Metro Morning. Verification is key, law prof says Salyzyn said lawyers are responsible to clients and the courts for the work they produce, but if they are going to rely on technology, they need to make sure that made-up information is not being passed along. Verification is key, she said. "If lawyers are using technology to assist their practices, they need to still verify what that technology is producing," she said. Nadir Sachak, a criminal defence lawyer with Sachak Law in Toronto, said AI is a resource that can be used by lawyers but the lawyers are still ultimately responsible for what they submit to court. "You better make sure that, if you're relying upon technology like AI, that it's done properly," Sachak said. He said in the case, R. v. Chand, the judge had no issue with the quality of the defence presented but it appears the lawyer involved had not reviewed the argument presented to court. The use of AI also poses questions for how lawyers bill clients, Sachak said. "Obviously, if one is acting ethically, one cannot simply bill a client for hours of work that the lawyer did not do, if the AI generated the material, let's say, in five minutes," he said. "One still has to make sure that whatever is presented is professional, done properly, diligently, and accurately." In an email on Monday, the Law Society of Ontario said it cannot share information on any investigations it has undertaken, but said it has produced a white paper that provides an overview of generative AI, as well as guidance and considerations for lawyers on how its professional conduct rules apply to the delivery of legal services empowered by generative AI.
Gizmodo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
Junk Food Is Filling Our Brains With Microplastics, Raising Mental Health Risks, Scientists Warn
Scientists have found alarming amounts of microplastics in virtually everything, from sea turtles to testicles. But discovering a plastic spoon's worth of these pernicious particles inside human brains may be the most disturbing of all. That recent finding prompted researchers to dig deeper into the health consequences of plastic accumulation in the brain. According to a new review study, published today in the journal Brain Medicine, microplastics may be the missing link in the relationship between ultra-processed foods and certain neurological disorders, such as depression and dementia. 'We're seeing converging evidence that should concern us all,' said lead author Nicholas Fabiano, a psychiatry resident at the University of Ottawa, in a statement. 'Ultra-processed foods now comprise more than 50% of energy intake in countries like the United States, and these foods contain significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than whole foods,' he added. Indeed, multiple studies suggest that the more processed a food product is, the more plastic particles it is likely to contain. For example, one study found that chicken nuggets contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breasts. This may be due to the increased amount of plastic that ultra-processed foods are exposed to during processing and packaging, according to the Food Processing Forum. Other recent studies have shown that microplastics can bypass the blood-brain barrier: a protective layer of cells surrounding the brain that keeps harmful substances out and locks beneficial chemicals in. The authors of the brain-spoon study, led by Alexander Nihart, Marcus Garcia, and Eliane El Hayek of the University of New Mexico, believe that microplastics infiltrate the blood-brain barrier by hitching a ride on fat molecules. Once these particles get inside the brain, they induce oxidative stress that damages cells and increases the risk of neurological disorders, Fabiano's study states. He and his colleagues note that microplastics appear to have a particular impact on neurotransmitters that play a role in neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and dementia. It's a big, bold claim that still needs to be verified with further research. Interestingly, these harmful effects are strikingly similar to those triggered by ultra-processed foods, according to the researchers. A previous review found that people who consumed these foods had a significantly higher risk of depression, anxiety, and poor sleep. And multiple studies have linked this type of diet to an increased risk of dementia. As a result, Fabiano and his colleagues suggest that microplastics could be a hidden driver of neurological disorders associated with ultra-processed food consumption. 'This hypothesis is particularly compelling because we see remarkable overlap in biological mechanisms,' said co-author Wolfgang Marx, senior research fellow at Deakin University in Australia, in the statement. 'Ultra-processed foods have been linked to adverse mental health through inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetics, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disruptions to neurotransmitter systems. Microplastics appear to operate through remarkably similar pathways,' he added. So, that's the bad news. Here's the good news: a complementary study, also published in Brain Medicine today, provides the 'first evidence' to suggest that a well-established medical technique called extracorporeal apheresis could remove microplastics from the body. This procedure involves extracting a patient's blood and running it through a machine that separates it into its parts: plasma and blood cells. Then, the plasma is filtered to remove any unwanted substances (like microplastics) and the clean plasma and blood cells are put back into the patient. It's a relatively simple technique that's used all over the world for certain types of blood donation, therapeutic purposes, stem cell collection, and more. In tests with 21 patients, at least two rounds of extracorporeal apheresis with double-filtration successfully removed microplastics from their blood, according to the study. 'While we need to reduce our exposure to microplastics through better food choices and packaging alternatives, we also need research into how to remove these particles from the human body,' said lead-author Stefan Bornstein, a professor of cardiovascular and metabolic medicine at King's College London, in the statement. 'Our early findings suggest that apheresis might offer one possible pathway for microplastic removal, though much more research is needed,' he added. Thus, as the global plastic crisis becomes more troubling by the day, exploring ways to protect the body from microplastics could help us clear our minds—literally.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
U of O offering free tuition to students from some Algonquin First Nations
The University of Ottawa is offering free tuition to students from the Algonquin Anishinàbeg Nation starting in the fall semester, the school announced Thursday. As part of the university's 2025-2030 Indigenous action plan, tuition fees will be waived for students in undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs who are members of a federally recognized Algonquin First Nation. "Education is the new life force for Indigenous people ... to become educated and to reinstate ourselves as the great nations that we were before colonization," said Tareyn Johnson, director of Indigenous affairs at the University of Ottawa. "I do think that it's a very important gesture, and it's one of many important gestures that need to be made." The offer will not be applied retroactively, but qualifying students who are already enrolled won't have to pay to complete their studies. The 10 federally recognized Algonquin First Nations in Ontario and Quebec are: Kitigan Zibi. Barrière Lake/Rapid Lake. Kitcisakik. Lac Simon. Abitibiwinni/Pikogan. Long Point/Winneway. Timiskaming. Kebaowek. Wolf Lake. Pikwakanagan. Housing, other fees not covered The offer will not cover housing or other ancillary fees for services such health insurance, Johnson said. The student or their First Nation would pay those, though Johnson noted the university offers a bursary to some Indigenous students to help cover some of their costs. Students who are interested should apply through their First Nation, the same way they have applied for bursaries and scholarships in the past, Johnson advised. "We're removing that burden of expense, then they can redistribute it to other people in their community," she said. Johnson wasn't sure how much the offer will cost the university, but called the potential cost "negligible compared to the impact it's going to have." Johnson said depending on how many Algonquin students take the university up on its offer, the program could be expanded to include other First Nations. "I'm hoping that after the first year showing the institution it's not this really significantly high number, that my goal would be to extend it to all of Ontario," she said. Carleton University and Queen's University offer awards and funding for Indigenous students. Indigenous action plan Beyond offering free tuition, the university's Indigenous action plan includes other changes: All faculty and staff will be "required to complete a First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) 101 workshop including competency modules related to their specific employment sector." The Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies will be "revitalized" and eventually master's and doctoral programs in addition to its undergraduate program. It will also host a new Algonquin research chair. The university's library will address harmful terminology and language in line with the "decolonize the library" movement that's "emerging across Canada." A committee will be formed to determine whether buildings and other infrastructure on campus need to be renamed. The university will offer Indigenous food on campus.
National Post
06-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Opinion: Canadian universities have an Islamist problem
Article content The keynote speaker was Basema Al-Alami, a PhD candidate at U of T's law school. According to her university bio, Al-Alami's research focuses on 'the intersection of counterterrorism, entrapment law and anti-Muslim bias in Canada's legal system.' Her PhD research alleges 'systemic issues in national security practices, particularly the litigation and over-policing of Muslims in post-9/11 Canada.' Article content In another example from earlier this year, the University of Ottawa's Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies invited Nada Elia, a Palestinian-American professor at Western Washington University, to give a talk on 'Weaponizing Feminism in the Service of Genocide.' In an article titled ' Weaponzing Rape,' Prof. Elia argued that, 'Israel is weaponizing claims of sexual violence for propaganda purposes,' and that there is 'no reliable evidence to document any of the alleged crimes.' According to the watchdog group Canary Mission, she has previously 'defended terrorists and called for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Israel.' Article content It is clear that Islamists, empowered by the cover of progressive activism on campuses, are waging a calculated campaign to erode the core values of western democracy. Their campaign goes far beyond dissent or protest — it is ideological jihad aimed at infiltrating educational institutions, weakening our legal foundations, distorting our security interests and disrupting our cultural, social and political stability from within. Article content The fallout from normalizing violence on university campuses is already visible, but a deeper danger lies ahead: when universities allow extremist ideologies to take root, they risk shaping a generation of graduates who no longer see terrorism as a crime, but as a justifiable form of resistance. This radical shift in young minds carries grave consequences — not only for the Jewish community, but for the security, unity and the democratic fabric of Canada itself. Article content With the Israel-Hamas war reviving the spectre of jihadist terrorism and ramping up youth recruitment in Canada, universities should not be platforming voices and ideologies that undermine our security and unity, priorities that Prime Minister Mark Carney alluded to in his post-election victory speech. Governments must seek accountability from university bosses to protect the integrity of our education system and restore trust in our institutions. Article content The unconscionable attempt by young, indoctrinated barristers to get Hamas removed from the U.K. terror list is a consequence of the years-long infiltration of Islamist ideology into the British education system. With the Trump administration demanding that Ottawa do more on the continental-security file, Canada can ill-afford to end up in a similar situation. Article content Article content Article content
