Using Generative AI for Legal Research

The promise of generative AI is awe-inspiring. Today, however, the questions about AI sometimes outnumber the answers. Using Generative AI for Legal Research provides a framework professors can use to introduce generative AI into the research curriculum. To use AI effectively, researchers must be aware both of its potential and its limitations. Using Generative AI for Legal Research explores how AI fits within a process for conducting legal research. Specifically, this material: addresses advantages and challenges of using AI for research; outlines tasks for which AI is and is not useful; describes how to prompt AI tools to produce useful information; offers guidelines for citing and acknowledging AI-generated information. The content follows the structure of chapters in in Basic Legal Research: Tools and Strategies (Revised 8th ed., 2024) and includes research examples and a chapter checklist. Although this material fits with Basic Legal Research, it can also be used as a stand-alone supplement with other instructional materials. New to the Third Edition: Updated descriptions of different forms of AI Updated explanation of AI’s advantages and limitations, including strategies for avoiding research pitfalls New research examples highlighting how to evaluate AI research results