Employers urged to understand legal obligations, seek professional advice
Employment lawyers in New Zealand are warning employers against using artificial intelligence tools in drafting workplace correspondence during disputes.
William Buckley, employment lawyer at Edwards Sluiters, pointed out that while AI can help organise thoughts and clearly communicate workplace concerns, there are still risks to its use.
"It also makes it easy to produce lengthy and technical correspondence that can escalate issues before a conversation has even taken place," he warned.
He warned that there are also accuracy concerns surrounding the use of AI when it comes to legal content.
"We have seen AI-generated correspondence that misstates legal tests, incorrectly summarises court decisions, or even cites cases that do not exist," he said.
"AI can be a useful tool, but employers and employees still need to understand their legal obligations and seek professional advice when disputes escalate."
Buckley issued the warning amid observations that AI is increasingly being used to prepare emails to managers, letters raising concerns, as well as responses during disciplinary processes.
AI-generated content has also made its way into Statements of the Problem that are filed with the Employment Relations Authority.
New Zealand's Supreme Court recently dealt with a case that apparently used AI tools, which hallucinated content about a "number of authorities."
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