A recent survey examining the legal profession confirms an observable trend: the adoption and use of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) by practicing lawyers continues its upward trajectory. This growth occurs despite persistent concerns among many practitioners regarding the rapid pace of technological change within the industry.
However, a less anticipated finding from the survey, conducted by LexisNexis, reveals a significant reluctance among a critical demographic: law students. This group is demonstrably one of the least likely to currently utilize generative AI tools. The data indicates that only 9% of law students are presently incorporating generative AI into their legal studies. Furthermore, only 25% of those surveyed expressed an intention to eventually integrate the technology into their future professional work.
The question for the legal sector becomes: why this hesitation?
Serena Wellen, a senior director of product management for LexisNexis North America, explores the underlying reasons for this trend, delving into the specific feedback provided by law students in the survey. Her analysis seeks to uncover the factors driving this tentative approach toward tools like ChatGPT.
Ms. Wellen’s detailed conclusions regarding the law student perspective are available in her article, Learning the Law with AI: Why Law School Students Are Tentative about Using ChatGPT, published in the resources library of the Human&Legal Legal Technology Directory.
