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Introduction
This guide is meant to provide an overview of new AI technologies, such as generative AI tools like ChatGPT, that may affect legal education. The materials included will provide information or links to access further training on this subject. The resources below were discussed during the Faculty Lunch and Learn, AI Technology in Law Schools, held in the Law Library on 5/2/2023. This guide is intended for faculty only, to assess how these technologies may affect instruction, academic integrity, and classroom technology.
Here's an intro in ChatGPT's own words:
Katelyn:
Could you please describe yourself to an audience of law professors?
ChatGPT:
Certainly! As an AI language model, I am ChatGPT, a highly sophisticated natural language processing system developed by OpenAI. I have been trained on vast amounts of data, including text from the internet, books, and other sources. My training has given me the ability to understand and generate human-like language, making me capable of conversing on a wide range of topics, including those that are relevant to the field of law.
I am based on the GPT-3.5 architecture, which makes me one of the most advanced language models available today. I have been designed to understand and interpret natural language input, making it possible for me to answer questions, generate text, and provide insights on a wide range of legal topics.
As a language model, I am continually learning and improving my abilities through the analysis of new data and the refinement of my algorithms. This makes me a valuable tool for law professors who are looking for ways to enhance their research and teaching, or who want to explore the potential of AI in the legal field.
Overall, I am an advanced AI system that can help law professors better understand legal concepts and provide insights on complex legal issues.
Presentation from 5/2 Workshop
- AI in Law SchoolsPPT Slides
ChatGPT Through the Dunning-Kruger Effect
ChatGPT
Background Resources on Generative AI & ChatGPT
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT) made by the company OpenAI. ChatGPT may be used to write essays, news articles, blog posts, recipes, jokes and nearly any writing task. ChatGPT can also be used to debug code. In a legal context, ChatGPT and similar programs may be useful for legal research tasks, document drafting, and conducting due diligence. The links just below this text will provide you additional background information about ChatGPT, generally, and how it may be used in the legal profession in the future.
How can I try to use it?
If you would like to try to use ChatGPT, you may make a free account on the OpenAI's chatGPT website (linked below.) Then, use the search bar to ask it a question or for a piece of writing. Here is an example where a librarian asked ChatGPT for a bibliography of Professor Baker's writing:
What are some other examples of generative AI writing tools?
Commercially Available:
Upcoming tools:
Generative AI in the Legal Profession
Legal Tech Using Generative AI
Paid users of ChatGPT have access to three versions - Legacy (3.5), Default (3.5), and ChatGPT Update (4). The free account provides access to only the Legacy version (3.5). Each version has differences in terms of speed, reasoning, and conciseness. The free version is rated at about 3/5 in it's reasoning skills, and GPT-4 is rated at a 5/5. Here is how they compare on some of the most challenging tasks it is known to have tried:
Many of the tools being developed have used or will use the latest ChatGPT version. Below, please find links describing the kinds of tasks ChatGPT may be used for in the legal profession as the technology develops.
Casetext began in 2013 as a legal tech company focused on AI tools for lawyers. They recently unveiled "CoCounsel", a generative AI tool that does document review, research memos, deposition prep and contract analysis "in minutes". It is powered by GPT-4. Like the other generative AI legal products, this is essentially a platform that provides sufficient prompts to allow ChatGPT to accurately respond. CoCounsel can also search within databases, making it an excellent legal research tool.
Casetext's about page for the first "AI Legal Assistant" with links for video demonstrations and other helpful information.
Overview and images of key features of CoCounsel.
LawDroid is a new company with two AI Legal products. Copilot, which operates as an "AI legal assistant", and Builder, which is an AI development platform that can be used by people who do not know how to code to create a custom platform to optimize services and improve client experiences. Copilot is only available as an early access product, while Builder is presently commercially available. Below please find links to more information about this legal technology.
Harvey is marketed as AI for 'elite' law firms and is currently serving only a few, with a waitlist for others who may be interested. Harvey is built using ChatGPT's AI but received additional training with legal data including case law and reference resources. Harvey is then trained further by using a law firms own work products and templates.
Detecting the use of ChatGPT in higher education
Claims 98% accurate determination of whether AI writing tools were used.
Free to use, and usable right now- however, it only detects AI written language with 26% accuracy and pulls false positives 9% of the time.
Scholarly Articles and Current Awareness
Notable Articles on AI and the Legal Profession
Articles about higher education, generally:
Articles specific to law schools:
Current Awareness Resources
The resources listed below are intended to assist you in keeping up with this rapidly developing topic.
Powernotes Insight
What is Powernotes & Insight?
Powernotes
Powernotes, is a productivity tool that allows you to gather and organize internet research and provides in-app features such as outlining, citation formatting, and a browser plugin to immediately pull internet pages or documents into your project folders within the app.
Powernotes Insight
Is a new tool within Powernotes that helps instructors integrate AI into the classroom. This feature provides a score and guidance on student work and the likelihood of AI-generated content.
[The] Insight score is calculated based on the work students put into PowerNotes: highlights, annotations, organizational structure, and the time it took to do all of those things. We compare this body of work against the student’s submitted paper, and a score is generated based on how correlated the two are. The higher the score, the greater the correlation.POWERNOTES INSIGHT, https://www.powernotes.com/insight (last visited Jan. 25, 2024).
