On March 26, a New York appellate courtroom became the unlikely stage for a scene that could have been lifted from a legal tech thriller. At the heart of the drama stood 74-year-old Jerome Dewald, representing himself in an employment dispute against MassMutual Metro New York. Dewald, a throat cancer survivor, had received approval to present his oral argument via video. But no one, not even the presiding judges expected what came next.
The screen flickered on, revealing not Dewald, but a slick, articulate man in a V-neck sweater. “Now may it please the court, I come here today a humble pro se before a panel of five distinguished justices…” the figure intoned. It wasn’t Dewald. It wasn’t even a real person. It was “Jim,” a synthetic avatar built using AI video tech from a
Tavus Defends AI in Courtroom After Avatar Jim Appears on Behalf of Dewald
- By Anshika Mathews
- Published on
We stand firmly on the side of assistive technology.
