240. Banning AI in Law School: We've Seen This Before

This week the University of Chicago Law School announced a new policy regarding the use of AI in teaching law. The headlines read “AI strategy bans phones, laptops in class for first year students.” What does history say about this sort of action so soon in the evolution and understanding of a new technology?Excerpt from the announcement of new AI Strategy at Chicago Law School. The full policy is https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/ai-strategy-statementWhether this is the right thing for a short time, a new long-term approach to knowledge tools, or a step backward is the subject of much debate. In the short term, it is probably fair to say the general concerns over the rise of AI in terms of jobs, replacing humans, and current limitations of the technology (to name just a few debate topics) mean this change is seen broadly positively. This is especially true because it is from a thought-leading intellectual powerhouse. It might be a surprise to some, but almost 45 years ago Harvard Law…