Summary:
A fatal gas explosion occurred at Watson Grinding, killing three people and destroying hundreds of homes. 3M hired an expert from Nighthawk Engineering for $90,000 to produce an expert report proving 3M was not liable regarding the maintenance of gas detectors.
- Misuse of ChatGPT: Instead of conducting a thorough investigation, the expert used ChatGPT to generate a 30-page report. He explicitly prompted the AI to find 3M “0% at fault” and to explain why his background suited rendering that opinion.
- Self-Evaluation & Warnings: The AI gave its own report a score of 97/100. Additionally, when asked to review the report as opposing counsel, ChatGPT actually warned the expert to remove the “0% at fault” line, pointing out that it made him look like a biased advocate rather than an objective expert.
- Discovery in Court: During the trial, opposing counsel noticed AI-generated formatting markers in the report. Under oath, the expert admitted to using ChatGPT. The court ordered his full chat history (over 350 pages) to be reviewed into evidence.
- Damaging Findings: The chat history revealed that the expert had uploaded a photo of the gas detector—the very subject of his expertise—to ask ChatGPT what it was. It also showed he took breaks while drafting the wrongful death report to design custom t-shirts.
- Trial Outcome: The expert admitted during testimony that 85%–90% of the report was generated by ChatGPT. Ultimately, the jury awarded $61 million in damages and held 3M 30% responsible, costing the company significantly due to the expert’s reliance on AI.