Artificial intelligence, or AI, excels at a lot of things. Summarizing documents. Breaking down complex topics. Answering general questions at 11 p.m. when you can’t sleep. But divorce is not on that list. And getting it wrong has consequences for you, your family and finances that can show up long after the case is closed.
Here are 6 reasons to think twice before you trust AI with your divorce.
1. AI Cannot Go To Court or Handle Live Mediation For You
Trial and mediation require excellent arguments, responding to difficult questions on the spot, negotiation and advocacy skills, knowledge of the rules of evidence and law, precise timing so not one moment is missed, cross examination, reading the judge and parties, and changing course on the fly. Lawyers spend years perfecting these skills. The judge is a human in real time. Your lawyer should be too.
2. Real Lawyering Takes a Human
AI cannot help you process the emotional toll of divorce. Talk through issues as they arrive. Get on the phone with opposing counsel to protect your interests. Line up the witnesses and professionals you need, using their connections and advice to queue up your case with the right team. This is actual lawyering and it takes a human to do it with determination, strength and respect for the emotional intensity of divorce.
3. AI Makes Things Up — Confidently
This is not a glitch that will be fixed in the next update. It is a fundamental characteristic of how these tools work. AI generates responses that sound authoritative and complete whether the information is accurate or fabricated. This is called a hallucination. In your divorce, a hallucination can cost you real money, real time, and real legal standing. AI does not know what it does not know, and it won’t tell you when it’s guessing.
4. Fixing AI Mistakes Can Cost More Than Preventing Them
For many, the appeal of using AI for legal help is that it can save money. Sometimes it does — until it doesn’t. When AI points you in the wrong direction and you act on it, you may need to hire an attorney to clean up the mess. This often takes more time than it would have to do it right the first time, costing you more than what you saved on the front end.
5. You Sign the Financial Disclosures. Not the AI.
Colorado requires detailed financial disclosures from both parties in a divorce, submitted to the court under penalty of perjury. If AI helps you prepare them and something is wrong — whether due to a hallucination, an outdated rule, or a misunderstanding — YOU are the one who signed them. The chatbot will not be at the sanctions hearing on your behalf.
6. What You Tell AI Does Not Stay Between You and AI
Attorney-client privilege is one of the most fundamental protections in the legal system. It does NOT apply to ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini. When you share details about your marriage, your finances, and your custody situation with an AI tool, you are sharing that information with a technology company under terms of service you almost certainly did not read. Before you type sensitive details into any AI platform, consider carefully where that information may go.
AI can be a useful tool for general information like understanding concepts, organizing your thoughts, or preparing questions before a consultation. But handling your divorce is not a task you want to hand off to a tool that cannot be held accountable for getting it wrong.
If you have questions about your Colorado divorce or family law case, call Andersen Law PC at 720-922-3880 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney.
