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AI @ CLS: Columbia Law School’s Artificial Intelligence Initiative

Gary Lloyd | Oct 14,26 | 01:32 EST

Technology

Launched this fall, the AI Initiative reflects a new approach to preparing lawyers for a profession increasingly shaped by AI.

Innovating With Purpose This section details how Columbia Law School is transforming its curriculum to integrate artificial intelligence effectively. In fall 2025, a task force, co-chaired by Daniel G. Ross Professor of Law Talia Gillis, was formed to address the dual challenges of AI’s impact on legal education and the evolving nature of lawyering. The task force emphasized fostering curiosity and adaptability in students, focusing on providing adaptive conceptual frameworks rather than training on potentially obsolete specific tools. As a result of this work, the Law School issued a Default Policy on Student Use of AI for the 2026–2027 school year. This policy grants faculty the flexibility to determine how AI is utilized in their classrooms while offering clear guidelines to ensure its responsible integration into a Columbia Law School education. Dean Abebe underscored that these efforts aim to merge the Law School’s core values with the recognition that rapid technological advancements are reshaping legal practice. To establish a common baseline of AI knowledge among students, especially given varied prior exposure, a comprehensive array of new courses, curricular modules, hands-on training sessions, and co-curricular programs has been introduced. This initiative began during the August J.D. and LL.M. orientation with the inaugural Paul, Weiss Orientation Session: Law in the Age of AI, which focused on responsible and effective AI tool usage. This program featured presentations by Professor Gillis, Associate Professor Neel Guha, and Paul, Weiss partner Laura C. Turano. Professor Guha provided a framework for understanding different AI systems and their appropriate applications, while Turano highlighted AI's role in promoting professional excellence. Moving forward, students will have diverse curricular options, from an introductory 'Law & AI' survey course co-taught by Professors Gillis and Eric Talley, to intensive, subject-specific seminars. These courses will explore AI's intersection with doctrinal areas such as intellectual property, machine learning, cybersecurity, data privacy, and the economy. Experiential learning opportunities, like the In-House Counsel Tech & Startups externship, and participation in AI and technology-focused student organizations and journals, are also available. For first-year students (1Ls), AI literacy is being integrated into the Legal Practice Workshop, and professors Gillis and Rebecca Wexler are developing AI modules for 1L Foundation courses. Expanding Knowledge Beyond classroom instruction, AI @ CLS is actively fostering and advancing faculty scholarship at the nexus of artificial intelligence and law, while simultaneously enabling researchers to explore AI's practical applications in legal research, teaching, and practice. Columbia Law School is solidifying its position as a central hub for faculty and scholars working in this dynamic field. Neel Guha, who joined the Law School in July, highlighted the institutional opportunity to cultivate a distinctive Columbia philosophy on AI and to develop innovative methods for training law students to expertly navigate a professional landscape increasingly defined by this technology. Reinforcing this commitment, Elliott Ash LAW ’10, GSAS ’16 will join the Law School in January 2027 as the inaugural Paul, Weiss Distinguished AI Scholar in Residence. During his three-year appointment, Ash, whose research focuses on applying computational methods to legal texts, will teach three AI-focused courses annually, significantly bolstering Columbia Law School’s expertise in law and technology. The AI @ CLS initiative also serves as a platform to unite scholars, students, and practitioners, encouraging their contributions to the responsible development and application of AI across various disciplines. The AI and Law Colloquium, launched this fall and led by Professor Wexler, invites guest scholars to campus throughout the semester to present their ongoing works, thereby exposing students to cutting-edge legal scholarship in AI and law. Faculty members are already incorporating AI into their research across a broad spectrum of perspectives. They are examining how AI can be utilized within legal systems and how the legal framework should adapt to AI’s expanding influence. Recent faculty scholarship includes Professor Jane C. Ginsburg's exploration of AI, copyright, and deepfakes; Professor Benjamin L. Liebman's analysis of AI's use in Chinese courts; and Professor Rebecca Wexler's research into AI's implications for criminal investigations and evidence. To further support faculty work and student learning, the Law School is organizing a series of events related to AI and law and providing students with additional resources. These resources include access to specialized AI platforms for the legal profession, such as Harvey and Legora. Furthermore, the Li Lu Law Library will play a crucial role, with its legal research librarians offering training and guidance to students on navigating AI resources effectively. Tackling Big Questions With the AI @ CLS initiative now firmly established, the institution is looking ahead to address the future trajectory and broader implications of artificial intelligence. Beyond its inherent potential as a tool for boosting productivity, AI fundamentally raises profound questions that carry wide-ranging consequences for society as a whole. These critical inquiries extend to areas such as the integrity of democratic institutions and the rule of law, the protection of individual privacy and civil rights, the evolution of human knowledge, the exacerbation or mitigation of economic inequality, the transformation of labor markets, and the creation or disruption of economic opportunities. Dean Abebe articulated Columbia Law School's unwavering commitment to engaging with and answering these significant questions. He stated that the institution's mission is to provide students with a rigorous legal education that equips them with the necessary analytical tools to frame and lead debates and discussions on the most urgent contemporary issues. Dean Abebe expressed confidence that Columbia Law School will play a pivotal role in shaping the responsible application of AI, not only within academic settings and the legal profession but also across society at large, reinforcing its commitment to societal impact.

Innovating With Purpose

This section details how Columbia Law School is transforming its curriculum to integrate artificial intelligence effectively. In fall 2025, a task force, co-chaired by Daniel G. Ross Professor of Law Talia Gillis, was formed to address the dual challenges of AI’s impact on legal education and the evolving nature of lawyering. The task force emphasized fostering curiosity and adaptability in students, focusing on providing adaptive conceptual frameworks rather than training on potentially obsolete specific tools. As a result of this work, the Law School issued a Default Policy on Student Use of AI for the 2026–2027 school year. This policy grants faculty the flexibility to determine how AI is utilized in their classrooms while offering clear guidelines to ensure its responsible integration into a Columbia Law School education. Dean Abebe underscored that these efforts aim to merge the Law School’s core values with the recognition that rapid technological advancements are reshaping legal practice. To establish a common baseline of AI knowledge among students, especially given varied prior exposure, a comprehensive array of new courses, curricular modules, hands-on training sessions, and co-curricular programs has been introduced. This initiative began during the August J.D. and LL.M. orientation with the inaugural Paul, Weiss Orientation Session: Law in the Age of AI, which focused on responsible and effective AI tool usage. This program featured presentations by Professor Gillis, Associate Professor Neel Guha, and Paul, Weiss partner Laura C. Turano. Professor Guha provided a framework for understanding different AI systems and their appropriate applications, while Turano highlighted AI's role in promoting professional excellence. Moving forward, students will have diverse curricular options, from an introductory 'Law & AI' survey course co-taught by Professors Gillis and Eric Talley, to intensive, subject-specific seminars. These courses will explore AI's intersection with doctrinal areas such as intellectual property, machine learning, cybersecurity, data privacy, and the economy. Experiential learning opportunities, like the In-House Counsel Tech & Startups externship, and participation in AI and technology-focused student organizations and journals, are also available. For first-year students (1Ls), AI literacy is being integrated into the Legal Practice Workshop, and professors Gillis and Rebecca Wexler are developing AI modules for 1L Foundation courses.

Expanding Knowledge

Beyond classroom instruction, AI @ CLS is actively fostering and advancing faculty scholarship at the nexus of artificial intelligence and law, while simultaneously enabling researchers to explore AI's practical applications in legal research, teaching, and practice. Columbia Law School is solidifying its position as a central hub for faculty and scholars working in this dynamic field. Neel Guha, who joined the Law School in July, highlighted the institutional opportunity to cultivate a distinctive Columbia philosophy on AI and to develop innovative methods for training law students to expertly navigate a professional landscape increasingly defined by this technology. Reinforcing this commitment, Elliott Ash LAW ’10, GSAS ’16 will join the Law School in January 2027 as the inaugural Paul, Weiss Distinguished AI Scholar in Residence. During his three-year appointment, Ash, whose research focuses on applying computational methods to legal texts, will teach three AI-focused courses annually, significantly bolstering Columbia Law School’s expertise in law and technology. The AI @ CLS initiative also serves as a platform to unite scholars, students, and practitioners, encouraging their contributions to the responsible development and application of AI across various disciplines. The AI and Law Colloquium, launched this fall and led by Professor Wexler, invites guest scholars to campus throughout the semester to present their ongoing works, thereby exposing students to cutting-edge legal scholarship in AI and law. Faculty members are already incorporating AI into their research across a broad spectrum of perspectives. They are examining how AI can be utilized within legal systems and how the legal framework should adapt to AI’s expanding influence. Recent faculty scholarship includes Professor Jane C. Ginsburg's exploration of AI, copyright, and deepfakes; Professor Benjamin L. Liebman's analysis of AI's use in Chinese courts; and Professor Rebecca Wexler's research into AI's implications for criminal investigations and evidence. To further support faculty work and student learning, the Law School is organizing a series of events related to AI and law and providing students with additional resources. These resources include access to specialized AI platforms for the legal profession, such as Harvey and Legora. Furthermore, the Li Lu Law Library will play a crucial role, with its legal research librarians offering training and guidance to students on navigating AI resources effectively.

Tackling Big Questions

With the AI @ CLS initiative now firmly established, the institution is looking ahead to address the future trajectory and broader implications of artificial intelligence. Beyond its inherent potential as a tool for boosting productivity, AI fundamentally raises profound questions that carry wide-ranging consequences for society as a whole. These critical inquiries extend to areas such as the integrity of democratic institutions and the rule of law, the protection of individual privacy and civil rights, the evolution of human knowledge, the exacerbation or mitigation of economic inequality, the transformation of labor markets, and the creation or disruption of economic opportunities. Dean Abebe articulated Columbia Law School's unwavering commitment to engaging with and answering these significant questions. He stated that the institution's mission is to provide students with a rigorous legal education that equips them with the necessary analytical tools to frame and lead debates and discussions on the most urgent contemporary issues. Dean Abebe expressed confidence that Columbia Law School will play a pivotal role in shaping the responsible application of AI, not only within academic settings and the legal profession but also across society at large, reinforcing its commitment to societal impact.