Post by Lincoln Zub Dutra

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself asking the same question again and again: Is Artificial Intelligence changing the law—or changing the way lawyers think about the law? The more I study AI and the American legal system, the more I realize that the most important questions are not technical. They are profoundly human. As lawyers, we are trained to do something that goes far beyond finding the right answer. We listen. We interpret. We weigh competing values. We recognize that every case has a story behind it. That is why I find the current AI revolution so fascinating. For the first time in modern legal history, we have tools capable of analyzing legal information faster than any human being ever could. But speed has never been the defining characteristic of justice. Judgment has. I’ve spoken with attorneys who use AI every day. I’ve read opinions from judges who encourage innovation while emphasizing professional responsibility. I’ve followed the rapid evolution of legal technology with genuine excitement. Yet one thought continues to stay with me. If young lawyers begin relying on AI before they truly learn how to think like lawyers, what kind of legal profession will we build twenty years from now? Perhaps the greatest challenge is not preventing lawyers from using AI. It is ensuring that AI never replaces the intellectual curiosity, ethical responsibility, and independent judgment that define outstanding lawyers. Technology should expand our capacity to reason. Not reduce our willingness to question. As I continue my research at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and the American legal system, I become increasingly convinced that the future of law will not be determined by the most advanced algorithms. It will be determined by lawyers, judges, scholars, and educators who understand both the extraordinary potential of AI and the enduring values that technology should never replace. That, to me, is one of the most exciting conversations taking place in legal education today—and one I hope to keep contributing to in the years ahead. I’d genuinely love to hear different perspectives. What do you believe is the one legal skill that AI should never replace? #ArtificialIntelligence #LegalEducation #LawAndTechnology #FutureOfLaw #LegalResearch #RuleOfLaw