On October 25, the Private Law Library and Academic Law Library Special Interest Groups jointly held a session about AI and the student experience.

Gathering to learn more about what students are learning and using in the school and firm environments, the groups had a lively conversation and left with a better understanding of how we can support students as they start seeing more AI resources during their school and articling careers.

We had 3 academic speakers sharing their perspectives, which ranged from "not touching on it at all" in lower-year legal research and writing classes to using the "cool mom approach": we know students will use AI, so let’s teach them to use it safely.

Each speaker stressed the importance of teaching students to question data sets and results, try multiple approaches, and not rely solely on AI for their research.

Our 3 firm speakers touched on the role and scope of internal AI committees setting policies and guidance for responsible AI use. Firms are also using research sessions to remind students to learn the limitations of AI tools and understand how to evaluate results for accuracy and authority.

While articling, students must also consider how client privacy requirements might influence how and when they would incorporate AI tools into their work.

Ending with a roundtable, the groups agreed that we have an important role in building AI skills, becoming experts in using AI tools for research efficiency, identifying training and development gaps, shaping use policy, and piloting new tools.

The AI landscape is still rapidly shifting, and we concluded with a recognition that academic and firm librarians will all succeed more effectively in this space if we continue to meet and share our experiences.

Carolyn Petrie, Library Services Director,  Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP / S.E.N.C.R.L., s.r.l. (Vancouver)