As artificial intelligence tools become pervasive, academic institutions are adapting their strategies to uphold educational integrity. The University of Chicago Law School will require first-year students to keep laptops closed during classes this fall, signaling a return to more traditional, analog methods designed to foster independent critical thinking.
This shift responds to growing concerns about AI-enabled cheating that threatens to undermine learning outcomes. Several universities, including Brown and Harvard, have recently disciplined numerous students involved in AI-assisted academic dishonesty, revealing the challenge AI poses to take-home assignments and remote testing. The University of Chicago Law School is addressing this by combining strict in-person assessments with new curricular approaches that balance independent reasoning and AI proficiency.
The law school plans to hold in-person, proctored exams to restrict access to external resources and will require oral defenses for significant research papers, ensuring students can articulate and justify their findings. At the same time, AI integration in the curriculum will increase, with courses featuring AI tools like Harvey and Legora to teach students how to use these technologies ethically and effectively.
The dean of the University of Chicago Law School acknowledged that educators had previously underestimated the impact of AI on assignments traditionally completed at home, allowing students to bypass genuine learning. He emphasized the importance of structuring education in stages—first cultivating the ability to think independently without AI, then teaching responsible AI usage aligned with professional legal practice.
This approach recognizes that artificial intelligence is now essential in the legal field, where law firms expect new hires to leverage technology competently. Rather than enforce a complete ban on AI, the school aims to create a learning environment that respects both fundamental reasoning skills and the ethical application of AI tools, carving a dual pathway that reflects the realities of modern legal education.