Category «Law Librarians»

How to Spot AI Hallucinations Like a Reference Librarian

AI has flooded the zone, overwhelming one on one human knowledge sharing. In this article Hana Lee Goldin returns the focus to the art of the reference interview. When someone has a research or information based request, librarians are trained to figure out what they actually seek and require. The first question asked most often does not encompass the scope of the information sought. Good reference librarians ask follow-up questions. This skill translates directly to AI. The better you understand what you’re actually looking for before you prompt, the better your results.

Subjects: AI, KM, Law Librarians, Libraries & Librarians, Search Strategies, Technology Trends

The Librarian as a Trusted (Human) Assistant

Jennifer Chapman concisely conveys the importance of identifying for patrons that AI’s confidence doesn’t equal competence. Chapman states that as law librarians we are naturally skeptical of certainty. The law teaches us to question everything, and library school teaches us how to verify everything. We, not generative AI, are the trusted human assistants that need to help our patrons effectively use technology tools.

Subjects: AI, Education, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Legal Research Training, Search Strategies

Teaching Legal Research in the Generative AI Era: When Source Blindness and Source Erasure Collide (Part 1)

Tanya Thomas, Research and Instructional Technology Librarian, raises the argument that we are training a generation of lawyers who rarely engage with the raw materials of their profession, and are increasingly consuming only the processed, pre-digested, AI-synthesized versions. Students are suffering from what we might call source blindness, the inability to distinguish between fundamentally different types of sources, compounded by source erasure, where sources disappear behind AI-generated summaries.

Subjects: AI, Education, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Research, Legal Research Training, Legal Technology

How Can Law Professors Effectively Teach AI Literacy to Law Students? Legal AI Studio

This spring the Michigan State University College of Law and the MSU Center for Law, Technology & Innovation introduced the “LegalRnD AI Studio,” a groundbreaking mini-course series designed to elevate law students’ AI literacy, focusing on practical skills in generative AI. Dennis Kennedy shares how you can replicate this successful model and provide your students with the essential AI literacy they need at your school.

Subjects: AI, Education, Law Librarians, Legal Education, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Legal Research Training

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 18, 2024

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Librarians Are Waging a Quiet War Against International “Data Cartels”; Why car location tracking needs an overhaul; How to find out if an AirTag is tracking you; and New mailing list aims to share hacking attempts on open-source projects.

Subjects: Communications, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, KM, Law Librarians, Privacy, Travel

Introducing AI Prompt Worksheets for the Legal Profession

Jennifer (Greig) Wondracek identified that her AI results are much better when she stops and thinks them through, providing a high level of detail and a good explanation of what she want the AI system to produce. So, good law librarian that she is, she created a new form of plan for those who are learning to draft a prompt. And the result is the AI prompt worksheets she shares in this article.

Subjects: AI, Continuing Legal Education, Law Librarians, Legal Research, Legal Technology

All Things AI Law Librarian-ish, Generative AI, and Legal Research/Education/Technology

Is better case law data fueling a legal research boom? Recently, Rebecca Fordon noticed a surge of new and innovative legal research tools. Fordon wondered what could be fueling this increase, and set off to find out more.

Subjects: AI, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Research, Legal Research Training, Legal Technology, United States Law

2023 Developments in Legal AI and the Courts

Jocelyn Stilwell-Tong, Law Librarian, California Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District, has determined that although free AI online is useful, the developing products from major legal research platforms show great promise. These paid products control for issues like hallucinations, and provide citations supporting their work so a researcher can confirm the accuracy and context of the materials the AI is pulling from. Issues surrounding data governance (what the company does with your uploaded material and search history) can be controlled by contract, and the legal vendors understand that this is a concern for most legal clients.

Subjects: AI, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Research, LEXIS, Technology Trends, Westlaw

The Case For Large Language Model Optimism in Legal Research From A Law & Technology Librarian

The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) in legal research signifies a transformative shift. This article by Sean Harrington critically evaluates the advent and fine-tuning of Law-Specific LLMs, such as those offered by Casetext, Westlaw, and Lexis. Unlike generalized models, these specialized LLMs draw from databases enriched with authoritative legal resources, ensuring accuracy and relevance. Harrington highlights the importance of advanced prompting techniques and the innovative utilization of embeddings and vector databases, which enable semantic searching, a critical aspect in retrieving nuanced legal information. Furthermore, the article addresses the ‘Black Box Problem’ and explores remedies for transparency. It also discusses the potential of crowdsourcing secondary materials as a means to democratize legal knowledge. In conclusion, this article emphasizes that Law-Specific LLMs, with proper development and ethical considerations, can revolutionize legal research and practice, while calling for active engagement from the legal community in shaping this emerging technology.

Subjects: AI, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Research, Legal Research Training, LEXIS, Search Engines, Search Strategies, Westlaw