AI and Legal Resources

AI is short for Artificial Intelligence, which means technology designed to think and communicate like a human. Some common AI include ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and the AI chatbots on social media. When you ask AI a question, it rapidly reads a massive amount of information on the internet and then tells you what it thinks you want to know. If all the information on the internet is correct, AI will probably give a correct answer. If the information on the internet is wrong or biased, AI will give a wrong or biased answer. And if AI can’t find the answer to your question, AI will sometimes make up a fake answer to tell you what you want to hear. Those fake answers are called “AI hallucinations” and they are dangerous. 

No matter what, do not ask AI for legal advice or use AI to make a legal argument. Legal advice is a lawyer’s professional opinion on how the law applies to your situation. You can only get legal advice from a lawyer, and AI is not a lawyer! A legal argument is an argument that a lawyer makes based on the facts of your case and how the relevant laws apply to those facts. Unlike AI, lawyers have a duty to make sure that they are not misstating the facts or the law to a judge. It is very risky to ask AI for legal advice or a legal argument because AI can misunderstand the information it reads online and AI may not be able to understand how the laws apply to your individual legal problem. It can even make up AI hallucinations to tell you what you want to hear. For example, if you ask AI to make a legal argument for you to read to a judge in court and it can’t find a law to support your case, AI will make up a fake law. If you end up making an argument in court using a fake law from an AI hallucination, there could be severe consequences. You might lose your case or even be held in contempt of court, which could result in a fine or jail time.

Although AI has its uses, it is not your best option for help with legal problems. If you need legal help, try our free legal forms. If you need legal advice, contact Montana Legal Services Association, or find a legal aid group near you if you live out of state. 

Every court has their own unique rules, so it’s important to check those rules and ask the court clerk if you have any questions.

Yellowstone District Court rules require you to disclose if you used AI and what kind of AI you used. If you use AI and it cites laws or court records, you have to certify that those laws or court records are real and not AI hallucinations.

Missoula District Court rules require you to disclose if you used AI and how you used AI. You also have to certify that any laws or court records cited are real and not AI hallucinations. You are responsible for whatever that AI writes, and if the judge thinks that you broke any of those rules, they may rule against you. 

As of January 2026, the only Montana state courts with AI rules are Yellowstone District Court and Missoula District Court, but AI is very new. Many courts that don't have AI rules now will likely write them soon. That’s why it is so important to check the up-to-date rules of your court and ask the court clerk if you have any questions.