This guide compiles information on generative AI developments and tools pertinent to legal research, legal education, and legal practice. It is a work in progress and will be periodically updated with additional resources and new information on this rapidly changing area.
For more information on generative AI, please visit the Information and Educational Technology (IET) site, Aggie AI: Artificial Intelligence at UC Davis. This resource includes details on upcoming AI-related events and the latest developments in AI, both within the university and beyond. Additionally, the UC Davis Library offers a guide titled Generative Artificial Intelligence for Teaching, Research, and Learning. This guide provides insights into key frameworks, best practices, and current research to help users deepen their understanding of this emerging technology.
Generative artificial intelligence is a type of AI technology that creates content – including text, images, video, and computer code – by identifying patterns in large quantities of training data.
Generative AI tools use Large Language Models (LLMs) to process user prompts, analyzing input text and generating responses based on patterns learned from vast training data. The model breaks the prompt into tokens (words, parts of words, or characters) and uses neural networks with billions of parameters to predict the most likely next tokens.
The responses provided by LLMs are based on statistical patterns, not actual understanding or facts. This means they can produce convincing but incorrect information (sometimes called "hallucinations"), reference outdated information, or reflect biases in their training data. For these reasons, it's essential to verify the information they generate before relying on it.
As the UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness has noted, generative AI tools "do not understand content and can make mistakes.... [E]ducators may need to cultivate AI literacy and train students to use these tools strategically and thoughtfully."
A few popular examples of LLMs include OpenAI's ChatGPT (e.g., GPT-4), Google's Gemini, and Microsoft's Copilot, all discussed further in this guide under Other Generative AI Tools.