“I have pretty complicated feelings about AI. Obviously, it can be a big timesaver, but part of law school is learning to think like a lawyer, and I worry offloading work to AI might well damage that learning process.”

—Drew Basile, ’29

A University of Pennsylvania graduate and Barry Scholar at Oxford, Basile has won seven games on Jeopardy!, competed on Survivor, and worked as a freelance writer. 

“Success in law school is largely tied to being able to manage time efficiently and digest large quantities of material quickly. I hope that as I brief cases before class and compile notes at the end of each quarter, AI will help me quickly streamline my notes into outlines which help me understand the material more completely.”

—Grant Booker, ’29

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy and an active-duty officer in the US Marine Corps, Booker was selected for the Marine Corps’ Funded Law Education Program and plans to serve as a Judge Advocate after law school. 

“I’m excited about the prohibition of electronic devices and AI in certain classes. Psychologists have reported for decades that the presence of technology in the classroom can have a negative impact on attention and learning. At the same time, it sounds like UChicago Law is being strategic in teaching students how to use AI in a way that adequately prepares us for the workforce.”

—Vyomika Gandhi, ’29

A Georgetown University graduate with degrees in psychology and neuroscience, Gandhi has worked in the nonprofit sector and conducted research on the effects of opioids and HIV on the brain.

“I am looking forward to harkening back to the days of paper and pencil for 1L classes so I can take a step back to critically reflect on the role AI can, and should, play in the determination of justice. In a time when AI seems virtually omnipresent and omnipotent, I think being a law student gives us the luxury of not simply reacting, but strategizing. I hope to take advantage of the unique opportunity to study the relationship between AI and the law before I begin to apply both to what is ultimately a human-centered field.”

—Roni Kane, ’29

A University of Michigan graduate, Kane taught English and coached Model UN in Spain as a Fulbright grantee before working with the Clooney Foundation for Justice in Scotland. 

“I agree very much with the recently announced UChicago Law AI strategy, and believe that AI should not be used to replace the act of human thinking. Since the struggle of engaging with case law, texts, our clients, and the actual process of writing all build stronger and novel argumentation, I hope that AI is only used in ways which automate tasks which get in the way of more transformative moments of thinking and collaboration. I think the Law School seems poised to find that right balance and I am looking forward to being a part of those discussions.”

—Stephen “Sharp” Queener, ’29

A Stanford graduate and former Fulbright Scholar in Nuremberg, Germany, Queener has worked as a tenant organizer and with a legal aid organization in his hometown of Santa Barbara, California. 

“I hope that AI can be used as a tool meant to take over menial tasks, freeing up its users for higher-level thinking and creative pursuits. Conversely, I want to actively avoid the opposite of this, where we outsource our critical thinking and creativity in the name of increased productivity.”

—Hunter Strauss ’29

A Georgia Tech graduate with degrees in biomedical and aerospace engineering, Strauss has served in the Army and Air Force and as a combat search and rescue pilot in the California Air National Guard. 

“I hope AI serves as a tool that enhances legal education without replacing the independent reasoning, judgment, and intellectual curiosity that define great lawyers. I believe a strong legal education will teach students not only how to use AI effectively, but also when to rely on it, when to reject it, and how to think critically regardless of the technology available.”

—Mridhula Subramanian, ’29

A former collegiate sailor, Subramanian most recently worked on investment banking transactions at Goldman Sachs and is pursuing a joint JD/MBA at UChicago. 

“The Law School is addressing AI with an intentionality that demonstrates clear understanding of the technology as well as its potential to ameliorate the experience of law students and professionals. I frequently build custom AI tools to improve my own productivity and continuing to do so was a deciding factor for me in choosing a law school. Similarly, I intend to continue engaging with the AI research community as a UChicago Law student and have already represented the school at a leading AI publication this summer, “’Be My Cheese?’: Cultural Nuance Benchmarking for Machine Translation in Multilingual LLMs.”

—Madison Van Doren, ’29

A Colorado State University graduate who grew up in England and the United States, Van Doren has led research on AI safety and studied the challenges posed by rapidly evolving technology.

“I know AI will be integrated into the legal field, even more so than it has already, so I’m sure I’ll have to begin embracing it as a tool. But I’m hesitant about the use of AI in the educational part of my legal journey, just because I’ve seen it used as such a crutch in college. Although I can’t remember the last time I handwrote my notes, I’m actually feeling positive about the decision to ban laptops and phones from first-year classrooms as a way to combat that use of AI because I know it’ll take away any temptation to take the easy route and make us all better students in the process.”

—Maya Vibhakar, ’29

A UCLA graduate, Vibhakar has interned in the White House and US House of Representatives and most recently served as a fellow with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

“I hope AI will serve as a force multiplier, helping me conduct legal research more efficiently and structure my studying. Upon graduation, I trust I will enter the workforce equipped with the skills to effectively employ AI tools unique to the legal profession. At the same time, I am committed to ensuring AI does not replace my ability to thoroughly learn and apply the material before turning to it as a tool.”

—Elijah Wiesman, ’29

A Washington University in St. Louis graduate, Wiesman has worked in immigration law and most recently as an intelligence analyst for the FBI. 

Learn more about AI at the Law School at law.uchicago.edu/ai-hub.