Rhode Island Supreme Court’s New Generative AI Guidelines: Six Things You Need to Know

By David M. Webster on November 5, 2026

On June 17, 2026, the Rhode Island Supreme Court (the “Supreme Court”) amended Comment [6] to Rule 1.1 of Article V (Rules of Professional Conduct) of the Supreme Court Rules. Competence now includes keeping up with the benefits and risks of existing and developing technology.

The Supreme Court also adopted interim guidelines to the Supreme Court Rules, particularly to Article V (Rules of Professional Conduct) for lawyers and Article VI (Code of Judicial Conduct) for judges. The guidelines are advisory and carry no force of law; however, don’t read that as optional. They show you how the Supreme Court reads the rules it enforces.

Understand the Tools

1. You must understand the tools. You don’t have to use AI, but you must know what it does and where it fails. Particularly, that it invents cases that look real. You may consult it like a treatise or Westlaw, but its output never replaces your own practical advice.

Tell Clients When It Counts

2. Tell your clients when it counts. You don’t have to tell clients every time you use AI. However, you must tell them when they ask and should tell them if doing so advances the purposes of Rule 1.4. Considerations include: (i) the significance of the AI tool to accomplish the task at hand; (ii) the importance of the task to the representation as a whole; (iii) the extent to which the client’s knowledge of your use of AI will advance the client’s understanding of the representation; and (iv) the extent to which the client’s knowledge of your use of AI informs their evaluation of, or confidence in, your work. If you use AI routinely, the Supreme Court suggests covering it in your engagement agreement.

Bill Honestly

3. Bill honestly. You can only bill for the time you actually spend on the task. If AI turns a two hour task into a one hour task, you bill one hour. Everyday AI subscriptions are overhead. You can’t bill clients for learning AI, since ongoing competence is a requirement of Rule 1.1, unless the client asks you to use a specific tool.

Protect Client Information

4. Protect client information. Before using any tool, read its terms of use and privacy policy. Find out whether it keeps your data confidential, whether it notifies you of breaches, and whether it keeps your data after you cancel. Free consumer accounts usually offer less protections than paid business plans. Your ethical screens must cover your AI tools. An AI chatbot owes prospective clients the same duties you do.

Verify

5. Verify everything before you file or submit. This is the heart of the guidelines. Before you file anything made with AI, you must review it for accuracy, verify every citation and statement of fact or law, fix the errors, and revise misleading arguments. The same goes for exhibits AI produced or enhanced. The Supreme Court says the candor rules reach unintentional statements as well as intentional ones. An honest mistake gives you no cover. Pull every case. Read it. Check every quote. Build verification into your process rather than trusting your read of a draft.

Watch Opposing Counsel

6. Watch opposing counsel. The guidelines tell you to scrutinize the other side’s output with the same diligence, whether you know it was AI generated or not. If you find fabricated authority, you may need to inform the court or report it, and even one bad citation can trigger that duty.

Set the rules for your firm.

Partners and supervisors are responsible for the firm’s AI use. They should write a policy defining permitted uses and train everyone on confidentiality, data security, ethics, and acceptable uses. Independent contractors need confidentiality agreements and accountability. If AI writes your advertising, you remain responsible for it.

What to expect from the bench.

Judges may consult AI but should never rely on it when drafting orders and decisions. Massachusetts goes a step further and bars judges and court staff from using generative AI for legal research and writing.

Your next steps.

Read the order here. List every AI tool your office uses and check its terms. Update your engagement letter. Write a firm policy and train your staff. Make it a rule that no AI assisted filing goes out until someone checks every citation.