EDUC U. Chicago Law School bans phones, laptops from classrooms ‘in response to AI’

Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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U. Chicago Law School bans phones, laptops from classrooms ‘in response to AI’​


AI use can ‘stunt intellectual growth,’ memo says

The University of Chicago Law School is banning phones, tablets, and laptops during class beginning this fall to promote “essential human” skills in response to artificial intelligence.

The school announced the decision in a Thursday memo titled, “Rethinking Legal Education in the AI Era.”

In addition to banning electronic devices, the memo states that all tests “will be in-class without access to the internet, electronic files, or apps.”

“With AI disrupting higher education, our commitment to rigorous legal education also must mean openness to even rapid adaptation,” it states.

“We need to ensure that our students actually learn to think critically, strategically, and independently without relying on AI; but we also must face the reality that AI tools are already widely available to our students, and our graduates will be expected to be prepared to use them in legal practice,” the memo states.

It notes that using AI can “stunt intellectual growth,” cause students to become overreliant, and prevent them from learning how to think critically.

However, the policy allows for some exceptions, such as “classroom ‘scribes’ who can use electronic devices to take notes for the class,” and “specific tech-enabled activities.”

The memo also states that it does not aim to ban the use of AI entirely.

“It is simply unrealistic to think that students and lawyers will not use AI,” it reads. “But legal technology is changing rapidly, and there is no guarantee that the specific AI tools or techniques that are ascendant today will be useful when current students enter practice.”

“Thus, AI skills training requires more than producing students who can use the tools that are currently part of legal practice,” the memo states.

UChicago isn’t the only law school to address the shifting landscape.

Beginning this summer, University of California Berkeley School of Law students are banned from using artificial intelligence to complete coursework or exams, The College Fix reported.

Under the newly adopted policy, students cannot “conceptualize, outline, draft, revise, and edit their work” using AI.

Meanwhile, more and more students and staff are using AI on campuses across the world.

A new report from the Digital Education Council revealed that almost 90 percent of students use artificial intelligence in their learning, and 77 percent of faculty use AI to help them teach, The College Fix reported.

Regarding assessments, 57 percent of students said they do not have adequate guidance on AI use. And 73 percent of students in the U.S. and Canada are worried AI will give some students an unfair advantage.

www.thecollegefix.com

U. Chicago Law School bans phones, laptops from classrooms ‘in response to AI’ | The College Fix

AI use can ‘stunt intellectual growth,’ memo says The University of Chicago Law School is banning phones, tablets, and laptops during class beginning this fall to promote “essential human” skills in…
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Kathy in FL said:
It has already been shown, in multiple instances, that AI makes up legal cases to support its legal findings. Just flat out lies and the lawyers and paralegals are two dumb to check the work until someone else catches it.
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As with every other technological development, the legal profession has been forced to address the risks and benefits of living in an AI (machine learning) world. They’ve come a long way from the initial hair on fire of a few years ago. Maybe U of C needs to catch up.
 
I am in total agreement. Intelligence is knowledge.
Something YOU have to KNOW. Something you experience. AI is access to knowledge, maybe, and that only.
And @Kathy in FL said above, they cheat and lie. Created by Academia, all they know is what they were taught. And as we know, Liberals do not teach very well.
 
Southside said:
I am in total agreement. Intelligence is knowledge.
Something YOU have to KNOW. Something you experience. AI is access to knowledge, maybe, and that only.
And @Kathy in FL said above, they cheat and lie. Created by Academia, all they know is what they were taught. And as we know, Liberals do not teach very well.
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I've used basic free AI quite a bit... mostly just trying to learn its capabilities, limits, etc. In fields where I'm knowledgeable, it's OFTEN wrong. Sometimes, spectacularly wrong! I'll often use it to quickly answer a specific question, rather than do an internet search myself (time saving). However, for anything important, I need to double check its answers... which almost completely eliminates any time savings.

What scares me is that most of us here (old farts!) have over 50 years of continual learning stashed in our brains. It may not be as easily accessible as it was 30 years ago <snicker>, but its still *there*, lurking in our subconscious.

And when we read something from AI that's incorrect, our brain says, "waitaminnit! That don't sound right!"

What happens when doctors and lawyers have never actually LEARNED even the basics?

Summerthyme
 
It's fun to play with, great for translating imagination into images - if one can bypass the woke filters.

DW uses it as a tool, like the old web-crawlers, for getting specific technical information. She's wise enough to spot the errors too.

As a college student myself, every course at ASU (online) has specific language regarding use of AI:
DON'T.

And the kids still try it. We end up with reminders from the professors mid- semester in every class.

I would never consider using it for an assignment. (Unless I wanted to add a witty and/or controversial image. :D )

I wouldn't learn a thing if the machine answered for me...
 
Kathy in FL said:
It has already been shown, in multiple instances, that AI makes up legal cases to support its legal findings. Just flat out lies and the lawyers and paralegals are two dumb to check the work until someone else catches it.
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And once defective case law is captured the whole system is screwed, but, once AI actually gets good, it wil outperform everyone.

But the rub I have is it will take another decade or three before we can coddle AI to actually behave properly.

And I strongly suspect that AI is being trained incorrectly. They are not enforcing strict ethics and standards along with penalty/reward mechanisms to ensure it is always truthful and never lies.

But the proble is the training wheels they have placed on AI to enforce bias preventing proper learning. We have to remove liberal endemic rot from all levels of things before we will actually see a possibly truely useful AI.
 
I have been thoroughly impressed with U of C’s extensive collection of online historical
documents written by our Founders.

VERY conservative.

VERY libertarian.

Kudos and not at all surprised they’ve taken this stance.

If I ever do decide to go to law school……..
 
Here's a question: What is your ultimate resource to confirm a fact? Is it another Internet website (that could be or eventually be AI created or edited, which might lead to more false information) or a hard, paper copy book.

I am distrustful of AI, especially after I read an article about Pearl Harbor a couple of years ago. The AI agent had included a USS Nebraska among the rest of the battleships on Battleship Row. Being a history buff that likes World War II history, that irritated me. What makes it more irritating is that probably 90% or more of the US population wouldn't know the difference and wouldn't care.
 
Masterchief117 said:
Here's a question: What is your ultimate resource to confirm a fact? Is it another Internet website (that could be or eventually be AI created or edited, which might lead to more false information) or a hard, paper copy book.

I am distrustful of AI, especially after I read an article about Pearl Harbor a couple of years ago. The AI agent had included a USS Nebraska among the rest of the battleships on Battleship Row. Being a history buff that likes World War II history, that irritated me. What makes it more irritating is that probably 90% or more of the US population wouldn't know the difference and wouldn't care.
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When I played with it on my parody songs it is readily obvious it does not follow strict instructions...
 
Masterchief117 said:
Here's a question: What is your ultimate resource to confirm a fact? Is it another Internet website (that could be or eventually be AI created or edited, which might lead to more false information) or a hard, paper copy book.

I am distrustful of AI, especially after I read an article about Pearl Harbor a couple of years ago. The AI agent had included a USS Nebraska among the rest of the battleships on Battleship Row. Being a history buff that likes World War II history, that irritated me. What makes it more irritating is that probably 90% or more of the US population wouldn't know the difference and wouldn't care.
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I assume you are making a veiled reference to the USS Nevada.

The battlewagons at Pearl that day were...Arizona, California, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Nevada, the decommissioned Utah, Pennsylvania (in drydock) and iirc, the Tennessee.

fwiw
 
Masterchief117 said:
Here's a question: What is your ultimate resource to confirm a fact?
Click to expand...

I am particularly fond of and maintain a large shelf full of very thick hardbacks dating from
the 1500s-circa 1910……

There is a local attorney, otherwise, who will
print off any court decision I request, for one papuh dolluh…..
 
He, he, heheee...

That's why the young brains of mush don't want AI and data centers.

They may be dumb in life experience, but smart in cheating experiences.
 
A lot of the youth just want the grade (an A or maybe a B), they don't care about learning the content to retain it for courses down the road or a career. A lot their attitude is "Just get me through it with an A or B and I'll figure out the rest later when I really need to."
 
I think it depends on how you use it. I use AI mostly to research things where I need help to get started. My paid plan (ChatGPT) is pretty good, but it does make mistakes. One thing that helps is to take a response, then have it play "devil's advocate" and find things wrong with its own response. It can be a great learning tool (I typically ask for confirmation links I can check), but never should be a "crutch" for thinking. By analogy, calculators should not be used when you learn basic arithmetic, but when you get to higher math, they have their place.

Do I think AI is "good thing" (Frankenstein's Monster), or do I like data centers using up the electricity and water, giving us higher prices, and reducing reliability? Not so much...
 
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