Artificial intelligence (AI) and legal education: some cautionary reflections

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having a significant impact on higher education. Many students are now using tools such as ChatGPT for educational purposes, while teachers are also making use of these tools for teaching purposes. The legal profession is already heavily impacted by AI. While legal trials are being conducted with the assistance of AI, numerous authors have started to show how lawyers and law students can make use of AI tools to enhance their legal and research-related work. This paper examines the impact of AI on legal education in Sri Lanka, especially from the perspective of a legal academic. It will first revisit how legal education has generally been understood and conceived by legal educators, both globally and in Sri Lanka. The paper will thereafter consider whether, or to what extent, legal education – from the perspective of both the student and the teacher - seems to be changing due to the rapid development of AI. The key question that this paper seeks to address is: what is ‘legal education’ in the age of AI, and how may legal academics respond to the exponential growth of AI? The paper will be based on published literature, while reference will be made to the author’s own experiences and views gathered from students. The paper argues that legal educators will have to come to terms with AI and make the best use of it, while maintaining the highest standards of ethics and professional integrity, which is bound to be an extremely challenging task.