AI-Generated Expert Report Shocks 3M Case in Houston Explosion

An expert hired by 3M used ChatGPT to draft a large portion of his report defending 3M’s safety standards in the 2020 Watson Grinding explosion case in Houston. Discovery revealed AI prompts and material generated by the AI, including a line claiming 3M was 0% at fault, though the AI later flagged that phrasing as risky. The episode underscores AI’s growing role in courtrooms and the discoverability of prompts. The jury awarded over $61 million in the case, assigning 30% liability to 3M and 70% to Watson Grinding, with related lawsuits still unfolding.