US law school allows new students to use AI on applications

The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in the US has announced that it will permit prospective students to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help draft their applications.

A spokesperson for the school added that applicants will be required to clarify that they used an AI as part of the application process and certify that the information submitted is truthful. The spokesperson also noted that the school has previously asked prospective students to confirm whether they have used a professional consultant as part of their applications, and that AI tools are widely available regardless of applicants’ economic situations.

Arizona Law School dean Stacy Leeds said that the school wanted students to know that the use of AI is acceptable. “This is just one more of the tools that is in their toolbox when they think about how to present their admissions package,” Leeds said.

Leeds pointed out that lawyers and law students are already making use of AI, but noted that the new policy is limited to prospective students. The law school is still in the process of drafting rules concerning the use of AI in the classroom and for coursework.

The move follows a decision from the University of Michigan Law School banning the use of widely used AI tools such as ChatGPT on student applications and requiring applicants to certify that they have adhered to the restriction.