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… who are willing to write a term paper with AI in eight hours. Study participants will gain experience with AI tools and Borges and his team will research how papers created with AI can be assessed fairly.
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
Artificial intelligence is finding its way into law firms, the judiciary, administration and companies. Future lawyers will naturally have to learn how to use these new tools in practice. ChatGPT & Co. are also part of everyday life for many students: AI has long since reached the world of academic study. "Against this backdrop, law studies are faced with numerous questions: How can students use these tools sensibly, and where should they not be used? What will exams look like in the future? And how can they be assessed fairly?" explains Professor Georg Borges, Director of the Institute for Legal Informatics and Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Law at Saarland University. "Law faculties must address these questions. It is not a question of if, reality has long since caught up with universities," emphasises Borges.
The decisive factor is to set the course for the future. "There is currently even debate about abolishing term papers, which I consider to be an indispensable, central element of legal education. It is much more important to transfer these long- ly proven basic elements into the AI age," emphasises the legal computer scientist, who is researching the use of AI tools in law studies and involving students in the process.
He is currently planning a scientific experiment for which he and his team are looking for students from all law faculties at German universities. "We are looking for 100 law students from the fourth to seventh semesters who want to participate. In February, they will have eight hours to try to write a law term paper that would otherwise take six weeks to complete with the help of AI systems," explains Borges. For the students, participation is an opportunity to engage intensively with the new tools. "They will receive exclusive coaching in the new working methods with AI – an advantage for their studies. The correct use of AI can be very helpful," says Georg Borges. In the future, students who do not use the new tools could even be at a disadvantage. "AI tools can provide support in everything from formal footnote checking to legal research, lecture transcription and refining legal arguments," explains the law professor.
In the free coaching he offers participating students, they learn how to use artificial intelligence effectively in their coursework. "At this stage of their studies, students often feel uncertain about things like structure, argumentation, research and time management. Students who take part work on a realistic practice assignment in a practical setting and learn step by step how AI tools can support them in their academic work," explains Borges. The assignment is then discussed and corrected. "We assume that the coaching will enable students to significantly improve their performance in their 'real' assignments later on," says Borges. "The coaching is intended to help avoid typical mistakes when using AI systems. We also want to draw attention to key methodological aspects once again."
Last year, as part of the "Saarbrücken Legal AI Project" he led, the legal computer scientist worked with students to test applications for AI tools such as ChatGPT in legal work to determine where they are useful and where they are not suitable. To this end, they used the AI tools to create learning and exercise aids based on scripts, search for suitable supporting documents and sources for legal work, or solve entire tasks, and then checked the results.
Together with his colleagues, Saarbrücken professors Dimitrios Linardatos and Christoph Sorge, Borges also offers courses in which students learn how to use generative AI systems to their advantage in their law studies and what mistakes to avoid. "Students learn how legal work and research with AI tools work and how to improve outlines or create mind maps, for example," says Borges.
Law students who want to take part in the current experiment can register by email: ls.borges(at)uni-saarland.de
The offer is free of charge.
Information on dates and coaching: https://www.rechtsinformatik.saarland
Further information:
https://www.jura.uni-saarland.de/juristisches-ki-projekt-saarbruecken/
https://www.uni-saarland.de/lehrstuhl/borges.html
Background
The Institute for Legal Informatics is part of the Faculty of Law at Saarland University. Four chairs at Saarland University and one chair at the University of Luxembourg collaborate here. With research focuses such as legal tech, IT Law, IT security, data protection and Legal Informatics, the institute covers a wide field at the interface of information technology and law from a legal, technical and international perspective.
Specialised studies in IT Law and Legal Informatics in Saarbrücken
Students at Saarland University can specialise in IT Law and Legal Informatics early on in their studies. The Institute for Legal Informatics offers some of the few nationally recognised degrees in this field of law: Students can choose between a full LL.M. programme with a focus on IT Law and Legal Informatics, which focuses on current topics, in particular data protection, artificial intelligence and data law, or a certificate programme that they can complete during their studies. In addition, there is the option of studying IT Law and Legal Informatics as a special two-semester elective subject as part of a law degree. Finally, the institute offers an international and interdisciplinary summer school on "IT Law and Legal Informatics" every year.
Questions answered by:
Prof. Dr Georg Borges: 0681/302-3105; email: ls.borges@uni-saarland.de
Press photos available for download:
You may use the press photos free of charge in connection with this press release and reporting on Saarland University, provided you credit the photographer.
