AI & Law: Circular Legal Reasoning And AI

Challenges of AI and the law include circular legal reasoning use cases

by Dr. Lance B. Eliot

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Key briefing points about this article:

• A potential logic-based fallacy consists of using circular reasoning for your arguments
• The usual approach consists of stating a premise as a fact that later is also the conclusion
• Of course, that can be a flawed way of trying to prove your case
• Lawyers often fall into this same trap, though others such as Einstein have done so too
• AI-based legal reasoning systems can aid lawyers in coping with circular reasoning

Introduction

Imagine a courtroom filled with attendees and participants.

A person accused of a crime is on trial.

The defense attorney gets up, walks over to the jury, and makes an outspoken remark. The esteemed lawyer states categorically and without reservation that his client is assuredly not a criminal, and thusly could not possibly have committed the…