Professor Amy Salyzyn has been awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant for a new project that explores how misinformation generated by artificial intelligence may affect the Canadian justice system, and how such risks can be addressed responsibly. Entitled “Guarding Against Misinformation: Generative AI and the Canadian Justice System,” the project will develop practical frameworks and tools to help courts, regulators, legal professionals, and access-to-justice organizations navigate the growing presence and use of generative AI.
Since the public release of ChatGPT in late 2022, interest in generative AI within the legal sector has accelerated dramatically. Lawyers and courts in Canada and internationally are increasingly experimenting with AI tools for legal research, drafting, communications, and evidence preparation. But courts around the world are already confronting cases involving fabricated legal citations and manipulated AI-generated materials appearing in legal proceedings.
Professor Salyzyn’s research focuses on two major categories of misinformation risk. The first involves generative AI tools used to prepare legal submissions, including the risk that fabricated or misleading information could become embedded in court filings and judicial decisions. The second concerns AI-generated or AI-altered evidence, including manipulated images, audio, video, and demonstrative exhibits that may influence legal decision-making in subtle or misleading ways.
To address these issues, the project will examine both the technical performance of AI tools and the complex dynamics of human interaction with AI systems. One major objective is the creation of a publicly accessible Legal AI Evaluation Roadmap that will assess existing AI tools used in legal drafting, with particular attention paid to access-to-justice contexts. The project will also develop new frameworks for understanding meaningful human oversight of AI systems in legal practice and adjudication, moving beyond simplistic notions of a “human in the loop.”
A second stream of research will focus on AI-generated evidence. The team will map the rapidly evolving landscape of image, audio, and video generation technologies and evaluate current limitations in detection and watermarking systems. Drawing on interdisciplinary research in psychology, information science, and law, the project will also examine how AI-generated materials may shape perception, memory, and decision-making within legal processes.
The initiative reflects the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in responding to emerging technological challenges. Professor Salyzyn, a leading scholar in legal ethics, law and technology, and access to justice, is joined by co-applicant Professor Jacquelyn Burkell of Western University, an expert in information and media studies, psychology, and interdisciplinary social science research. Together, they bring extensive experience leading collaborative research projects examining the societal implications of digital technologies.
Beyond scholarly publications, the project will produce regulator briefing notes, white papers, plain-language resources, webinars, podcasts, and public commentary aimed at increasing public understanding of how generative AI may both assist and threaten justice system processes.
SSHRC Insight Grants support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. The goal of the Insight program is to build knowledge and understanding about people, societies and the world.
The Faculty of Law congratulates Professor Salyzyn and Professor Burkell on the launch of this timely initiative!