Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of the legal education landscape, and students are regularly asking how they can use AI as part of their study plans. Whether we like it or not, students are already turning to AI tools – sometimes with great results, sometimes with unintended consequences.
For academic support educators, the question is clear: how do we leverage AI’s potential to enhance learning without letting it replace the deeper thinking skills students must develop?
First, encourage students to treat AI as a supplement, not a substitute. AI can generate outlines, summarize cases, and explain doctrinal concepts. But students still need to practice legal reasoning! Just like with any type of supplement, the risk with AI is that it’s bypassing the student’s learning process. As educators, we must frame AI just like any other supplement – as a study partner rather than a shortcut. AI can be useful for brainstorming, organizing ideas, or testing understanding, but it’s not a substitute for doing the hard work of studying the law.
Second, we must model critical use of AI. Rather than just prohibiting it entirely, we must embrace the times and show students how to use AI critically. For example, in class you might ask AI to explain a concept then compare its response to class notes and case law. You can then highlight its limits, pointing out where it oversimplifies, fabricates sources, or misses nuances. This modeling helps students build the habit of treating AI output as a starting point, rather than a final product.
Finally, when guiding students on using AI, keep equity and ethics in view. AI use raises important questions about fairness and access. Not all students have equal access to paid AI tools. Some may over-rely on them without understanding the risks of bias or inaccuracy. Also, we must prepare students for the ethical use of technology in practice. Responsible integration means discussing issues of academic honesty, the risk of AI “hallucinations,” and the appropriate boundaries when using AI in the professional setting. By addressing these head-on, we help students develop not just academic skills, but professional judgment.
AI isn’t going away. Our role as academic support educators is to help students navigate it, leveraging its strengths, mitigating its weaknesses, and always keeping human judgment and deep learning at the center. If we teach students how to use AI responsibly now, we’re preparing them not just for exams, but for the realities of a legal profession already being reshaped by technology.
(Dayna Smith)
