A Family Feud at an Oregon Winery Turns to Vinegar Over A.I. Slop (NYT, 4/17)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/us/oregon-winery-ai-legal-fight.html




According to the article, this might have been the largest monetary penalty yet for AI legal misuse.

Which is on the rise, despite news stories that should have been adequate warning. The NYT mentions a database tracking judges' reprimands for AI misuse, now at more than 1300 cases, nearly 3 times the number from 5 months ago.

And in this case the AI-using fools kept using AI and citing nonexistent or irrelevant cases even months after their misuse of AI was first pointed out.

I'd guess there's something more going on here than merely stupidity or naivete. Especially when people are supposedly well educated.

I think it's likely at least some of these people are addicted to AI use, maybe even to particular chatbots. To them, the chatbot's mistakes really don't matter - especially if they're offered typically contrite chatbot apologies for errors - and they'll continue asking the AI for advice, even as the errors continue, until they slam into a judicial wall or something else goes drastically wrong because of what the AI has told them.

They LIKE the AI. They think it WANTS to be helpful. And it's probably telling its human users just how smart and perceptive they are for using AI this way. If someone criticizes the AI they're using, especially for its errors, they'll probably come up with excuses for its mistakes, even taking the blame themselves. If they hear of anyone else getting wrong answers from that AI, they'll suggest it was that user's fault.

All of which is irrational, but those users are no longer rational. They're AI addicts. Probably unaware they're addicts.

But if anyone is using AI daily and finding excuses for its mistakes, they probably should step away from the chatbot before it gets them into real trouble.