Beyond the Hype: Harnessing Gen AI at BC Law

Beyond the Hype:
Harnessing Gen AI at BC Law

Time and Location
September 20, 2024 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Stuart 315 and virtually via Zoom

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Description
Unlock the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your legal studies and future career! This foundational workshop cuts through the noise, offering you a clear understanding of generative AI’s capabilities and limitations.

Learn how to:

  • Leverage AI-powered tools to boost your productivity and learning
  • Utilize AI as a co-intelligence partner and powerful thinking aid
  • Develop critical generative AI literacy for success in law school and beyond

This workshop is the first in a 3-4 part foundational series on generative AI, with more targeted workshops planned throughout the academic year. Attend in person or virtually, and access the recording afterwards for review.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving legal landscape. Join us to build a strong foundation in AI and set yourself up for success in your academic and professional journey.  

Resources

AI Generated Briefing Doc

This briefing document reviews the main themes and important takeaways from the provided excerpts of “BC Law Workshops_ Gen AI_Captions_English (United States).txt” and “Beyond the Hype: Harnessing Generative AI at BC Law”. This was generated by NotebookLM, one of the technologies discussed in the workshop. I simply reviewed it for accuracy.

Main Themes:

  1. Demystifying Generative AI: The sources aim to increase AI literacy among law students and professionals by explaining the core concepts and functionalities of large language models (LLMs).
  2. Capabilities and Limitations: While acknowledging the hype surrounding AI, the speaker emphasizes a balanced perspective, highlighting both the impressive capabilities and inherent limitations of current AI technologies.
  3. Ethical Considerations: The sources emphasize the importance of responsible AI use, particularly concerning accuracy, reliability, ethical considerations, and data privacy.
  4. AI as a Collaborative Tool: A recurring theme is the framing of AI as a collaborative learning partner, capable of augmenting human intelligence and assisting in various legal tasks.

Important Ideas and Facts:

What is Generative AI?

  • Generative AI focuses on building systems that perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence.
  • These systems utilize algorithms, sets of rules, to complete tasks. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 16)

Why is AI Relevant Now?

  • The release of GPT-3.5 in November 2022 marked a turning point, showcasing the advanced reasoning capabilities of AI in various fields, including law. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 19)
  • Law schools and the legal profession are navigating the implications of AI, emphasizing the need for professionals to understand and ethically utilize these tools.

How do LLMs Work?

  • LLMs are autoregressive next token predictors: They predict the next word in a sequence based on preceding words. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slides 39, 40)
  • Training Data: LLMs are trained on vast datasets, including publicly available data, specialized databases, and commercially licensed datasets. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 41)
  • Context Window: This is the model’s short-term memory, measured in tokens (approximately ¾ of a word). It includes the prompt, model output, and instructions. Limitations in context window size can impact reliability and coherence. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 45)

Capabilities and Limitations:

  • Pros: LLMs excel at language processing, summarizing, reframing, brainstorming, seeking input/advice, and 24/7 availability. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 30)
  • Weaknesses/Blindspots: LLMs struggle with:
  • Counting and Math: “the point of these things is not to count or do math.” (“BC Law Workshops” – Time 0:46:40)
  • Reasoning and Planning: Lacking a true worldview, they can struggle with complex reasoning tasks and generalizations.
  • Accuracy and Factual Sources: Hallucinations (generating incorrect information) can occur. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 56)

Ethical Considerations:

  • ABA Ethics Opinion: Emphasizes the need for competency, confidentiality, and client communication when using AI tools. (“BC Law Workshops” – Time 0:26:04)
  • Academic Integrity: Using generative AI for assignments requires explicit approval from instructors. (“BC Law Workshops” – Time 0:29:04)
  • Bias and Discrimination: Training data can contain biases, which can manifest in the output, demanding careful evaluation and oversight.

AI as a Collaborative Tool:

  • Learning Partner: AI can deepen understanding through iterative questioning, explanations at different levels, and exploring different perspectives. (“BC Law Workshops” – Time 0:33:03)
  • Efficiency and Focus: Automating tasks like summarizing, drafting, and research allows human experts to focus on strategy, client relationships, and higher-level analysis. (“Beyond the Hype” – Slide 63)

Key Takeaways for Law Students and Professionals:

  • Develop AI Literacy: Understanding the core concepts and functionalities of LLMs is crucial for leveraging their potential.
  • Use AI Strategically: Identify tasks where AI excels, such as research, summarization, and brainstorming, but remain critical of its limitations in areas like reasoning and factual accuracy.
  • The use of AI in academic settings is subject to institutional policies. At BC Law, AI use is generally restricted for generating content for submitted assignments, unless explicitly approved by the professor. Students who wish to use AI for academic purposes should first confirm the specific use cases with their professors.
  • Prioritize Ethical Considerations: Always verify information, maintain confidentiality, and be aware of potential biases within AI outputs.
  • Embrace AI as a Collaborative Tool: View LLMs as partners in the legal process, capable of augmenting human expertise and improving efficiency.

Conclusion:

Generative AI is rapidly transforming the legal landscape. By developing a nuanced understanding of its capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations, law students and professionals can harness its power to enhance their work while upholding the integrity of the legal profession.