AI-generated lawsuits flood courts, Google funds virtual power plant for data centers

AI is reshaping access to the U.S. legal system, but not for the better. Federal Magistrate Judge Maritza Braswell in Colorado reports that the number of filings from people without lawyers has more than doubled compared to pre-2023 levels, a spike she attributes directly to AI chatbots. While these tools help individuals draft legal documents, they do not improve their chances of winning cases. Judges are now questioning what rights and duties chatbots should have when they stand in for lawyers, and lawmakers are grappling with who should pay when chatbots produce bad legal advice. The flood of low-quality, AI-generated lawsuits is straining court resources and raising fundamental questions about the role of AI in justice.

Separately, Google has signed a deal to fund a virtual power plant on the largest power grid in the United States. The system will aggregate devices like electric vehicles and smart thermostats, paying customers to reduce their electricity usage during peak demand. This frees up capacity for Google's data centers, which require enormous and constant power. The approach is a test: will customers actually participate? The catch is that people might not be willing to adjust their habits for modest payments. If successful, virtual power plants could become a key tool for balancing energy needs between data center growth and grid reliability.