The
widespread
use
of
AI
has
hit
higher
ed
hard.
First
the
teachers
complained
about
students
using
ChatGPT
on
their
assignments.
Then
the
punishments
came.
Plagiarism
software
was
updated
to
account
for
its
use
and
students
could
face
serious
consequences
for
outsourcing
their
thinking
to
AI.
It
didn’t
take
long
for
the
tables
to
turn:
students
began
to
complain
about
how
often
teachers
were
using
AI!
Some
teachers
are
transparent
with
the
process
—
Ithaca’s
Diane
Gayeski
runs
her
student’s
papers
through
ChatGPT
for
suggestions
on
how
they
should
be
graded
and
she
suggests
that
students
do
the
same
to
their
work
as
a
way
to
proofread.
But
are
these
fringe
uses
or
signs
of
how
ubiquitous
AI
usage
will
be
in
the
classroom.
The
University
of
Michigan
Law
School
is
interested
in
that
answer
and
they
want
applicants
to
get
some
contributions
from
AI
when
they
answer
it.
ABA
Journal
was
able
to
grab
the
text
of
a
new
question
on
the
application,
here
it
is:
“Essay
Ten—To
be
answered
using
generative
AI:
How
much
do
you
use
generative
AI
tools
such
as
ChatGPT
right
now?
What’s
your
prediction
for
how
much
you
will
use
them
by
the
time
you
graduate
from
law
school?
Why?”
What
a
strange
way
to
get
at
this
sort
of
information!
First,
the
posing
of
this
question
seems
to
be
a
strong
exception
from
UMichigan’s
general
stance
toward
AI
use
in
the
classroom.
The
ABA
was
quick
to
point
out
that
it
can’t
be
used
for
the
applicant’s
personal
statements
or
any
other
supplemental
essay
questions.
If
a
student
were
to
answer
along
the
lines
of
”
I
use
AI
a
moderate
amount”
or
“I
use
AI
so
much
that
it
heavily
impacts
my
life
choices.
I’ve
only
applied
to
this
law
school
because
it
told
me
getting
in
would
finally
make
my
parents
proud
of
me,”
wouldn’t
that
run
the
risk
of
making
the
applicant’s
reader
question
if
the
student
inappropriately
used
ChatGPT
or
some
other
large
language
model
to
answer
other
sections
of
the
application?
It
seems
like
the
safest
route
would
be
to
offer
conservative
answers
like
“I
don’t
use
AI
tools
very
often”
and
“I
think
that
my
usage
of
such
tools
will
depend
on
the
school’s
honor
code
and
the
degree
to
which
my
teachers
require
its
usage.”
Out
of
curiosity,
I
ran
the
questions
through
ChatGPT
and
got
this
response:
Current
Use
of
Generative
AI
Tools:Right
now,
I
use
generative
AI
tools
like
ChatGPT
occasionally,
mainly
for
tasks
like
brainstorming,
summarizing
legal
concepts,
or
clarifying
complex
topics.
It’s
particularly
useful
for
getting
a
quick
overview
of
case
law,
generating
outlines,
or
even
simplifying
dense
legal
language
when
I
need
a
fresh
perspective.
However,
I
still
rely
heavily
on
traditional
sources
like
textbooks,
casebooks,
and
class
notes
for
in-depth
study
and
analysis.
Predicted
Future
Use
in
Law
School:By
the
time
I
graduate
from
law
school,
I
expect
to
use
generative
AI
tools
significantly
more.
As
the
technology
improves
and
becomes
better
integrated
into
legal
research
platforms,
I
foresee
using
it
for
drafting
practice
memos,
issue
spotting,
synthesizing
rules
from
multiple
cases,
and
perhaps
even
checking
my
writing
for
clarity
and
conciseness.
It
could
also
be
a
helpful
tool
for
exam
preparation,
time
management,
and
simulating
Socratic-style
questioning.
Why:The
legal
field
is
increasingly
adopting
AI-assisted
tools,
and
as
a
student,
I
want
to
stay
ahead
of
that
curve.
Law
school
involves
managing
an
overwhelming
amount
of
information,
and
generative
AI
can
help
streamline
that
workload.
As
I
gain
more
experience
and
confidence,
I’ll
likely
trust
the
tools
more—though
always
with
a
critical
eye,
since
legal
accuracy
and
ethical
standards
are
non-negotiable.
On
balance,
that’s
a
pretty
damned
good
answer.
And
while
inviting
students
to
answer
questions
with
AI
may
not
the
best
way
to
assess
their
knowledge
or
reasoning
skills,
at
least
its
not
nearly
as
bad
as
the
California
Bar
sneaking
AI-generated
questions
onto
the
bar
exam.
Best
of
luck
to
any
prospective
students
applying
to
UMichigan.
Remember,
this
should
be
the
only
question
you’re
using
AI
to
help
you
answer!
Writing
University
Of
Michigan
Law
School
Optional
Application
Essay?
Use
Artificial
Intelligence,
Please
[ABA
Journal]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
is
learning
to
swim, is
interested
in
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.