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Use of AI for Academic Legal Research: Risks and Opportunities (LAW-DS-LAWUAI-25)

LAW-DS-LAWUAI-25

Description

The use of AI is likely to change many areas of life, and legal research is unlikely to be an exception. But how far should legal scholars really endorse its use, or rather try to avoid it as far as possible?
The use of AI can be ‘risky’ in the sense that it may make a research output ‘worse’ in the sense that it gives rise to a negative evaluation by a third party (journal, grant reviewer, examiner etc). For example, third parties may look down on AI-assisted research output on the grounds that it embodies incorrect references due to ‘hallucinations’, distorted legal language, or empty, generic and unoriginal statements. However, simply not using AI at all may also be risky as AI offers many tangible opportunities: to brainstorm ideas, to get feedback on a written text, to improve one’s writing style, to facilitate the search for literature, to help with forms data collection and evaluation, to provide editorial support etc.
This seminar will therefore reflect on the risks and opportunities of using/not using AI for academic legal research.
It will require active participation by researchers as they will also be asked to present their own experiences. Thus, the first part of the seminar will consist of presentations by the seminar teacher and possible guest speakers. In the second part, each participant will then be asked to explain and assess one or more forms of AI use they have attempted.

Course reading list: https://readinglist.eui.eu/leganto/public/39EUI_INST/lists/2950891530008406?auth=SAML&idpCode=SAML_LEGANTO

First, Second & Third Term: registration from 22 to 26 September 2025.

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