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Generative AI & Legal Research

A guide for students and faculty on using generative AI for legal research and writing

Resources

NEW The Official AI Survival Guide for Teachers, GPTZero, 8/30/24

A practical guide on responsibly teaching with AI.

Introducing AI Prompt Worksheets for the Legal Profession, AI Law Librarians, 1/10/24

Two prompt creation worksheets that can be used by faculty and students to assist with using AI during the research process.

Practical AI for Instructors and Students (5 part YouTube series), Ethan & Lilach Mollick 

Wharton Interactive's Faculty Director Ethan Mollick and Director of Pedagogy Lilack Mollick provide an overview of how LLMs work and explain how this latest generation of models has impacted how work and learn. 

AutomatED: Teaching Better with Tech, AutomatED

A newsletter that provides guidance to tech and AI in university settings.

AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit, TeachAI

A continually updated resource for educators wanting to experiment with AI in the classroom. While not specific to legal education, it contains a wealth of insight and resources on using AI for educational purposes. 

Demystifying LLMs: Crafting Multiple Choice Questions From Law Outlines, AI Law Librarians, 11/13/23

In today’s post, we’ll explore how legal educators and law students can use Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude to create multiple-choice questions (MCQs) from a law school outline.

AI and Law Teaching, Illinois College of Law Library

This research guide touches on the science of AI chatbots and discusses how AI is already pervasive in legal research and teaching. It discusses current law school policies for AI and ChatGPT, the ethical implications of using ChatGPT as a teaching and research tool, and presents opportunities ChatGPT provides to improve or innovate teaching in the legal domain. 

Law Faculty Guide to AI, ChatGPT, and Similar Technologies, Oklahoma City University School of Law

This research guide provides an overview of AI, ChatGPT, and similar generative technologies. It discusses their effect on legal and higher education, their use in law practice, the effectiveness of plagiarism detectors like Turnitin's, and discusses copyright issues present with the use of generative AI.

Law Faculty Guide to ChatGPT, Suffolk University School of Law

This research guide discusses how to use ChatGPT and evaluate its responses. It provides examples and resources for using ChatGPT in the law school classroom, how to know if your students are using it, and additional resources to learn more about ChatGPT in legal education. 

Syllabi Policies for Generative AI Toolslast updated 11/17/23

This resource is created by Lance Eaton (contact him vial email, Twitter, or LinkedIn) for the purposes of sharing and helping other instructors see the range of policies available by other educators to help in the development of their own for navigating AI-Generative Tools (such as ChatGPT, MidJourney, DALL-E, etc.).

Teaching with AI, OpenAI, 8/31/23

OpenAI shares a few stories of how educators are using ChatGPT to accelerate student learning and some prompts to help educators get started with the tool. 

 How to Use AI to Improve Your Grading and Assessment, AutomatED, 4/24/23

We discuss the ways you can use AI tools to assess, constructively critique, and grade student submissions.

News & commentary

Creating Guidelines for the Use of Gen AI Across Campus, Campus Technology, 2/21/24

The University of Kentucky has taken a transdisciplinary approach to developing guidelines and recommendations around generative AI, incorporating input from stakeholders across all areas of the institution. Here, the director of the UK's Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching breaks down the structure and thinking behind that process.

Chatting About Chat: How Are You Starting to Incorporate AI LLMs into Legal Research Classes?, RIPS Law Librarian, 2/14/24

While we already have been using AI in legal research for quite a while – I am looking at you, natural language search – there is now a whole Next Level.  AI LLMs are popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm.  Lexis AI, Westlaw AI, Casetext Co-Counsel, Vincent in vLex, etc. While we are still at the dawn of these new tools, how have legal research instructors started working them into classes?  Or perhaps instructors have decided to wait?

Adding an Artificial Intelligence Module to a 1L Legal Research Course, Rips Law Librarian Blog, 2/2/24

As the editor of this blog, I feel a little reluctant to add yet another post on artificial intelligence since the subject has been discussed extensively. At the same time, because I can see the blog’s analytics, I know these posts are popular. We’re all trying to stay on top of this rapidly developing topic. So I decided to share some reflections on my experience integrating an AI module into a 1L legal research course.

AI is Coming for our Classrooms! A Survival Guide for the AI Apocalypse, RIPS Law Librarian Blog, 1/8/24

In late December, Lexis+ announced that it would make its generative AI tool available to 100,000 second- and third-year law students in the spring semester, leaving librarians and other instructors scrambling to test it and incorporate it into our syllabi and teaching. Subsequently, Westlaw announced that academic subscribers to Practical Law Dynamic will have access to a new generative AI search feature called “Ask Practical Law AI” on January 24, 2024. Hence, this brief survival guide to the AI Apocalypse in legal research training.

The Robot Who Wrote My Homework Suggests a 4th Law, RIPS Law Librarian Blog, 11/28/23

in this blog post, the author discusses their experience using ChatGPT to generate a legal research paper. They explore the capabilities and limitations of AI in assisting with academic work, emphasizing the need for human involvement in the research process. The post raises questions about the ethical use of AI in legal education and the potential impact on critical thinking skills.

Why I Use ChatGPT To Tell Me Things I Already Know, Law 360, 11/6/23

Despite the known risks of hallucinations, this article highlights the potential value of using ChatGPT as a memory aid for lawyers. It emphasizes that, in many situations, the demand for perfect accuracy is not necessary, and ChatGPT can efficiently provide memory joggers or suggestions. The author advises lawyers to use ChatGPT mindfully, recognizing its strengths and limitations, and suggests that, when strategically employed, it can enhance productivity without sacrificing accuracy in legal tasks.

AI improves legal writing speed, not quality - study, Reuters, 11/8/23

This article reports on a study indicating that while AI improves the speed of legal writing, it does not necessarily enhance the quality. The research suggests that AI tools like ChatGPT contribute to quicker document generation but may fall short in ensuring the substantive excellence and precision that legal professionals prioritize.

Coding with ChatGPT: A Journey To Create A Dynamic Legal Research Aid, AI Law Librarians, 10/10/23

This article explores practical applications of ChatGPT for law librarians, focusing on how AI tools like ChatGPT can assist with legal research, document drafting, and providing quick answers to legal inquiries. It highlights the importance of proper training and supervision when implementing AI technology in a legal library setting. It also includes a PDF form of the dynamic legal research aid created by the author.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Turnitin's AI Writing Indicator Model, Temple University Center for the Advancement of Teaching, 9/23

This study provides an evaluation of Turnitin's AI Writing Indicator Model with an aim to assess the model's effectiveness in identifying issues with student writing. Researchers conducted an analysis of student papers using Turnitin's AI tool and compared the results with human evaluations. The study found that the AI model showed promise in addressing some common writing issues, such as grammar and mechanics. However, the report highlights limitations in detecting more complex issues, such as argument structure and style.

ChatGPT is Notoriously Bad at Legal Research. So Let's Use it to Teach Legal Research, Verdict Justia, 9/9/23

This article discusses using ChatGPT to teach legal research despite its limitations in this area. It highlights that while ChatGPT may not be proficient at legal research due to its limited legal knowledge, it can serve as a useful tool for teaching law students about research techniques and developing their critical thinking skills. The author suggests that by using ChatGPT in a pedagogical context, students can learn to evaluate AI-generated responses critically and refine their research strategies, ultimately improving their legal research abilities.

OpenAI confirms that AI writing detectors don't workArs Technica, 9/8/23

OpenAI has admitted that AI-based detectors, meant to identify AI-generated content, are less effective than initially thought. Real-world testing has shown that accurately distinguishing AI-generated text from human-written text is challenging, especially when AI is used to assist human writers. OpenAI's admission highlights the evolving nature of AI detection tools and the ongoing challenges they face.

Some Law Profs Are Using ChatGPT In Their Work, Law360, 9/8/23

This article discusses how some law professors have been incorporating ChatGPT into their work to draft documents, explore legal concepts, and perform research. The article highlights that while AI tools like ChatGPT are valuable aids, they should not replace legal expertise and professional judgment. It emphasizes the importance of lawyers and law students developing AI literacy to effectively integrate these tools into their practice.

AI Assistance in Legal Analysis: An Empirical Study, Minnesota Legal Studies Research Paper No. 23-22, 8/13/23

Can artificial intelligence (AI) augment human legal reasoning? To find out, we designed a novel experiment administering law school exams to students with and without access to GPT-4, the best-performing AI model currently available. 

HeinOnline in the Classroom: AI and ChatGPT, HeinOnline Blog, 7/21/23

HeinOnline offers a plethora of tools and resources for both educators and students, and it's incorporating AI and ChatGPT to enhance legal research, writing, and document analysis. This integration helps streamline research processes and improve student learning outcomes by providing quick and accurate insights and legal information. It also assists educators in developing research skills among law students. By incorporating AI and ChatGPT, HeinOnline aims to make legal research more efficient and accessible.

Do AI Detection Tools Work? Does it Matter?, AutomatED, 5/26/23

A blog post on why the author is unsure of what to think about tools that supposedly detect AI-generated text.

Exams in the Time of ChatGPT, Margaret Ryznar, 3/28/23

Invaluable guidance has emerged regarding online teaching in recent years, but less so concerning online and take-home final exams. This article offers various methods to administer such exams while maintaining their integrity—after asking artificial intelligence writing tool ChatGPT for its views on the matter. The sophisticated response of the chatbot, which students can use in their written work, only raises the stakes of figuring out how to administer exams fairly.

Teach aspiring lawyers to use ChatGPT, says top law prof, Legal Cheek, 1/18/23 

Law professor Andrew Perlman, dean of Suffolk University Law School in the US, has suggested incorporating ChatGPT into legal education to teach aspiring lawyers how to effectively use AI tools. Perlman believes that AI can significantly improve legal research and drafting processes. This approach could help law students become more proficient in AI-assisted legal tasks and prepare them for the changing landscape of the legal profession.

Some law professors fear ChatGPT's rise as others see opportunity, Reuters, 1/10/23

Law professors hold varying opinions on ChatGPT's rise in legal education. Some believe it has the potential to be a valuable tool in teaching students legal research and writing skills, while others express concerns about its potential to undermine these skills and erode traditional legal education. ChatGPT's increasing prominence prompts discussions about adapting legal curriculums to incorporate AI, balancing AI usage with fundamental legal training, and addressing ethical considerations related to AI's influence on legal practice.