What are AI hallucinations?

AI systems are an increasingly prevalent workplace tool, but the information received is not always accurate. An AI hallucination refers to instances where an AI system generates false or misleading results. These errors can be caused by a variety of factors, including insufficient data, incorrect assumptions made by the model, or biases.

As use of AI in legal offices increases, the number of cases is also increasing where inaccurate, false or fictitious information in the form of fake citations has been used in court submissions or filings.

A guide to help you lower your risk

To mitigate the potential risks involved, the library recommends that solicitors and their wider legal team check the results of any AI generated searches against reliable sources to verify that the cases exist.

This two-page guide lists authoritative sources for Irish superior court judgments, including both open access and subscription-based databases and a citation index for unreported and reported Irish case law.

• Mitigating AI Hallucinations

Subject Guide on AI and the Legal Profession

For more information on other useful resources on AI and the legal profession, the library’s AI Subject Guide can be accessed below:

• AI and the Legal Profession

CPD Courses on AI for Solicitors

You might find this new guide useful if signing up to the Law Society’s 2025 online AI course (MOOC).

• Find our more and register for the MOOC

Law Society Skillnet is also running practical AI workshops on 15 July in Portlaoise and 16 September in Dublin:

• Book your place on an AI workshop

Contact the Law Society Library

The library welcomes your queries on AI. If you have any questions on this or library access, please contact us. You can also visit the Library online.