UC Berkeley Law Tightens AI Rules, Banning Use in Exams and Drafting From Summer 2026
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · May 22
UC Berkeley Law Tightens AI Rules, Banning Use in Exams and Drafting From Summer 2026
6 articles · Updated · Business Insider · May 22
UC Berkeley Law will bar students from using AI for conceptualizing, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, translating and any exam work when its new policy takes effect this summer.
Generative AI advances drove the shift: professor Chris Hoofnagle said the 2023 policy had become too permissive because large language models can now produce a research paper "soup to nuts."
Faculty approved the rules, though instructors can opt out and AI-focused courses will follow different standards; the school says the aim is to build first-year students' core legal reading, analysis and writing skills.
Berkeley still is not trying to ban AI outright, acknowledging law firms expect graduates to be proficient with it and that tools on Lexis, Westlaw and search engines already embed AI features.
The crackdown comes as schools broadly harden anti-cheating measures: Berkeley has seen more misconduct cases and shifted more take-home tests to locked-down in-person exams, while Princeton is proctoring all in-person exams from July 1.
Is banning AI in law schools a fix for cheating or a failure to adapt legal education to technology?
With AI handling legal work, what unique human skills must law schools now teach to ensure graduates remain relevant?
Inside UC Berkeley Law’s 2026 AI Ban: Safeguarding Legal Skills and Academic Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Overview
UC Berkeley School of Law will strictly ban the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in most graded academic work and exams starting Summer 2026. This decision comes from concerns about both the benefits and risks of AI—while AI can speed up legal research and drafting, it can also introduce errors, biases, and influence opinions in ways that may go unnoticed. The policy aims to protect academic integrity and ensure students build strong legal reasoning skills without over-relying on technology. However, AI will still be allowed in specific courses focused on teaching the ethical and legal aspects of AI use.