--- title: "MIT Expert Warns Courts “Will Basically Have to Grind to a Halt” as They’re Overwhelmed by AI-Generated Lawsuits" description: "Experts continue to warn that the influx of self-represented people filing AI-powered lawsuits could put serious pressure on the courts." date: "2026-05-23" modified: "2026-05-23" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mit-expert-ai-generated-lawsuits-spike" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" --- # MIT Expert Warns Courts “Will Basically Have to Grind to a Halt” as They’re Overwhelmed by AI-Generated Lawsuits ![A broken wooden gavel with the handle detached from the head, set against a red grid background with dark red stains.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock* Data shows that more and more people are self-filing lawsuits with the help of AI chatbots. Experts warn that the influx of sometimes-dubious cases could have real consequences on the court system. Back in March, a pair of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of South California [published a study]() showing that according to millions of administrative records, the percentage of self-filed lawsuits has spiked from a "long-term steady-state average of 11 percent" to nearly 17 percent by the end of 2025. (These figures exclude self-filings by incarcerated people.) This uptick, the researchers argue in the study, strongly appears to be driven by the adoption of widely-available and cheap-to-use AI chatbots like ChatGPT, which will happily drum up court documents and offer legal aid. As one of these researchers, MIT's Anand Shah, [recently told the *Washington Post*]() — which compiled the study's findings into a striking chart showing that self-filings skyrocketed after the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 — this rush of self-represented court cases stands to have huge ramifications on America's famously slow-moving court system. "There's a tradeoff here," Shah told *WaPo*. Self-representation — referred to as "pro se" in legalese — is an important part of our legal system. While there have historically been plenty of litigious cranks and known local bozos who have used and abused the court system by way of chaotic self-filings, the overwhelming majority of those who opt to represent themselves in court do so out of need, often due to financial roadblocks. But like any other legal fight that makes its way to a court docket, these cases take up time and attention — and if courts find themselves unable to manage the spike in AI-powered suits, Shah told the newspaper, they "will basically have to grind to a halt." "Every system that has decreased cost to entry from AI," Shah added, "should expect increased demand." The data has yet to show a measurable uptick in the average duration of cases, as *WaPo* notes, and some self-represented folks have [reportedly found success]() with help from AI. But the concerns here are very real: AI-powered lawsuits have already caused real havoc in courtrooms, as well as in the lives of individual lawyers and people affected by the litigation. In March, [we reported that chatbots]() have allowed for AI-armed litigants with ill-advised or fully nonsensical claims to flood the court system with massive piles of AI-generated court documents, unnecessarily swallowing countless hours of lawyers' time, clogging court dockets, and driving up costs for everyone involved. Some lawyers who spoke to *Futurism* shared that they've been shackled to cases in which the torrent of AI-generated motions — all of which have to be read and taken seriously — has caused clients' bills to skyrocket from a few thousand to *tens* of thousands of dollars. And when all is said and done, the self-filers in these cases are often ordered to shoulder that financial burden, as well as face the reputational consequences that can arise from abusing the legal system. "The courts take all filings seriously," said one paralegal. "And all of this sh\*t, before it gets in front of a judge, is clogging the system." **More on AI and court:** *[Absurd AI-Powered Lawsuits Are Causing Chaos in Courts, Attorneys Say, "Clogging the System" and Driving Up Costs]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()