Yale Law School Launches New AI-Focused Programs and Initiatives

We are excited to share that this fall Yale Law School has pioneered interdisciplinary studies into how artificial intelligence will impact the legal field. 

As the role of AI is growing in the legal industry, so do the concerns regarding its use and capabilities. Considering this in mind, Yale Law School has announced a series of innovative AI-focused programs and initiatives. This program will equip law students for the future. 

At the forefront of the legal world, some scholars believe that AI may produce misinformation. But on the other hand, AI has capabilities to make legal services more accessible for populations who previously did not have the resources or access to legal aid.  

“YLS’s approach is to study AI in dialogue with other fields rather than as a pure play. YLS’s traditional areas of strength are super relevant for navigating AI’s future in the legal world and beyond,” wrote Jerry Ma LAW ’25. 

The best part about this AI program is that law school doesn't limit the study of AI to the classroom, but it encourages students to engage in a hands-on-manner. 

Through the Tsai Leadership Program, Scott J. Shapiro , professor of law and philosophy, heads an AI lab where students build AI tools for legal use. Shapiro is helping and supervising students with coding a defamation detector. This AI tool will be programmed to detect defamatory material and flag it for legal review. 

Shapiro has been the core part of AI programs at Yale. Last spring, he worked with students to build an AI model for use in media law with a DocProject. This AI provides pro-bono legal representation for documentary filmmakers as a part of the Media Freedom and Information Access, or MFIA, clinic. The DocProject would also utilize the defamation detector currently being built. 

“Everyone talks so much about AI but no one is actually building it,” said Shapiro. 

Which is why this fall law school decided to offer various classes on artificial intelligence, including Law’s Artificial Intelligence Future taught by Visiting Associate Professor of Law Abdi Aidid .

Not just that in the coming spring, Shapiro will co-teach a course with Ruzica Piskac , professor of computer science, entitled Law and Large Language Models. This course will have half law students and half computer science students. The course will pair students from both disciplines and then work through applications of the technology. 

This course from Yale will prepare law students for the future. What are your thoughts on Yale’s new program? How you think it will impact legal education and law students in the future? 

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