KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 6, 2025

False information generated by artificial intelligence tools used in legal filings has become a new ethical threat within the legal profession, according to Darrell Sutton, keynote speaker during Kennesaw State University鈥檚 annual .

Ethics Awareness Week is a longstanding annual initiative of the University System of Georgia. USG Ethics Week programs include a mix of campus-based and system-wide celebrating the ethical culture revered across the university system鈥檚 26 colleges and universities.

During Kennesaw State鈥檚 keynote event, Sutton, a partner at Sutton Law Group, a former president of the State Bar of Georgia, and a member of the 91青青草 Foundation Board of Trustees, said AI has created ethical issues because of flaws that lead it to create some outputs that are untrue.

鈥淣o. 1 is a phenomenon called hallucinations, and this is not just applicable in law practice, but it has had the most publicity within law practice,鈥� Sutton said.

Hallucinations are AI-generated false information presented as factual in legal filings that have recently found their way into civil court cases, criminal court cases, and even in court orders from judges. There have been several high-profile cases where AI hallucinations have been discovered, making national news.

Sutton spoke to a large audience of administrators, faculty, staff, and students Wednesday afternoon in the Carmichael Student Center.

Over the past year, he chaired a committee of the state bar that worked with AI experts to examine how the emerging technology could negatively affect the professional responsibilities of attorneys. Fortunately, the group found only three rules of professional conduct that needed to be amended to account for ethical use of AI, and two of those were already being revised, Sutton said.

Skilled lawyers have spotted AI hallucinations in legal filings, avoiding pitfalls that would come with them escaping notice, Sutton said. Over the long term, as users realize the limitations of AI in the legal profession, such incidents should decrease.

鈥淚f the task is routine and repeatable, it鈥檚 probably appropriate to use AI, and I鈥檒l give you a great example,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y practice involves the collection of and understanding of medical records. That鈥檚 something that can take hours for me to complete on my own, but with the appropriate AI tool, I can feed those records in, and it spits out a summary that鈥檚 really reliable in about 45 seconds.鈥�

The emergence of AI is a pivot point in how we work, Sutton said, not unlike the switch from typewriters to computers, and from mail to email. But it鈥檚 not a serious long-term threat to the legal profession.

 鈥淟aw practice is making judgment calls in the midst of chaos with often incomplete information, which AI simply can鈥檛 do,鈥� he said.

Ethics Awareness Week was kicked off Monday afternoon at Columbus State University with the Chancellor鈥檚 Keynote event, hosted by Chancellor Sonny Purdue, featuring a speech from Georgia business legend Jimmy Blanchard, retired chairman and CEO of banking company Synovus.

At Kennesaw State, the week kicked off at tables on the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses promoting Ethics Awareness Week.

Later Wednesday, Schwaig conducted a students-only event entitled 鈥淟eading with Purpose: Reflections on Ethics in Action.鈥�

On Thursday, two programs were offered, including a presentation from the Office of Research called 鈥淎ligning AI with Public Values鈥� at 10 a.m. in the Carmichael Student Center. At 1 p.m. a virtual program called 鈥淚ntegrity in Action: Strengthening our Campus Ethos through Conduct and Accountability鈥� was presented by the Department of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.

Ethics Awareness Week will conclude Friday with a system-wide virtual panel discussion called 鈥淭he Compliance Catalyst: Leadership that Shapes Culture.鈥�

鈥� Story by Gary Tanner

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.