{"id":148554,"date":"2026-04-10T11:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/04\/10\/justice-sotomayor-advises-law-students-on-ai-adoption-there-should-have-been-a-stronger-warning\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T11:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:49:13","slug":"justice-sotomayor-advises-law-students-on-ai-adoption-there-should-have-been-a-stronger-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/04\/10\/justice-sotomayor-advises-law-students-on-ai-adoption-there-should-have-been-a-stronger-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice Sotomayor Advises Law Students On AI Adoption \u2014 There Should Have Been A Stronger Warning"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou must learn to master the dangerous hallucination machine to do good in the world\u201d sounds like an opening line from a Young Adults novel about the folly of rapid technological advancement. It also summarizes a Supreme Court justice\u2019s advice to law students on becoming fluent in AI usage. Law.com<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n

\n

AI systems are the \u201cnew revolution\u201d in the legal profession, as the advent of computers were for lawyers in the latter half of the 20th century, Sotomayor said Thursday at the University of Alabama School of Law\u2026\u201dFor every student in this room, do not graduate this institution without learning how to master AI as a tool[.]
\u2026
\u201cAI is a sophisticated human,\u201d Sotomayor said. \u201cAll of its input is input from human beings. And because it is that, it has the potential to perpetuate the very best in us and the very worst in us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That makes it particularly dangerous in \u201cjudging the complexity of human endeavors and in human situations[.]\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There is more at stake than AI\u2019s tendency to lean in to human: all too human errors<\/a>. We<\/em> are the gamble. I think that Sotomayor\u2019s best and worst in us is poetic flair that covers up a far more ominous reality: we have no idea how rapidly incorporating AI will impact us in the long run. Let\u2019s bracket the immediate question of if AI is actually a \u201csophisticated human\u201d (she\u2019s a jurist, not a biologist after all) and instead think of it as a tool; is there any room left for Luddites in the profession? It sounds nice to recommend AI mastery \u2014 whatever that means \u2014 but what will be the subsequent consequences of 10,000 hours typing away at a delusion-encouraging black box<\/a>? While they may be a little over-sensationalized, it is still worth considering the risks of AI-induced psychosis <\/a>developing in communities targeted with adapt-or-die rhetoric. We also don\u2019t know the long-term effects of regular AI use on neuroplasticity<\/a>. The hard-fought talent of thinking like a lawyer could be replaced with thinking like a Harvey or Claude prompter. There\u2019s also the the material conditions of the labor. Lawyers, especially ones in Biglaw, work very long hours and are often sleep deprived. One attorney said that in his 40 years of practice he never slept more than 3-4 hours at a time<\/a>. How does using AI when exhausted change us? And what do you do when the cure all is the source of the exhaustion<\/a>? And this isn\u2019t to say that AI is bad and anyone advocating for its adoption is a snake oil salesman trying to make their money before the bubble bursts. But it is also naive to suggest that some of that isn\u2019t<\/em> happening or that our infrastructure might not be prepared to deal with it.<\/p>\n

Take the process of editing documents. Most lawyers have the experience of submitting a brief you thought was going to change the direction of whatever body of law you were practicing only to get it handed back to you covered in red ink. The social dynamics of getting your work edited by a superior sucks, but it strengthens your writing ability and helps to build a sense of interdependent teamwork. Your work product may end up good enough after a couple rinses cycles in an LLM, but what happens to training and team building after AI enters the fold? Do you get the same degree of editing from your immediate team? Probably not \u2014 your partner or supervising attorney will tell you to run it through the firm\u2019s proprietary AI program a couple of times before you even dream of sending it over. That\u2019s a recipe for alienation. What long-term effects will that have on the industry? We\u2019re already starting to see firms pivot toward laterally hiring rather than bothering to train budding lawyers<\/a>. How sustainable is that really?<\/p>\n

If you use AI of your own volition or because your firm forces you to, Godspeed. Please make an effort to make sure you don\u2019t inadvertently dull your critical thinking skills along the way<\/a>. And if you go the Amy Coney Barrett route and abstain from using AI in your work, you aren\u2019t alone. You should also brush up on the First Amendment<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Justice Sotomayor Says AI Can Be \u2018Very Dangerous\u2019 But Tells Law Students to Master It<\/a> [Law.com]<\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: <\/a>AI Won\u2019t Replace Lawyers But Can Create Critical Shortage Of Good Ones<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn\u2019t hurt either. You can reach him by email at christopherrashadwilliams@gmail.com<\/a> and by Tweet\/Bluesky at\u00a0@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Justice Sotomayor Advises Law Students On AI Adoption \u2014 There Should Have Been A Stronger Warning<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSonia Sotomayor during day two of her Senate confirmation hearing (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM\/AFP\/Getty Images)\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou must learn to master the dangerous hallucination machine to do good in the world\u201d sounds like an opening line from a Young Adults novel about the folly of rapid technological advancement. It also summarizes a Supreme Court justice\u2019s advice to law students on becoming fluent in AI usage. Law.com<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n

\n

AI systems are the \u201cnew revolution\u201d in the legal profession, as the advent of computers were for lawyers in the latter half of the 20th century, Sotomayor said Thursday at the University of Alabama School of Law\u2026\u201dFor every student in this room, do not graduate this institution without learning how to master AI as a tool[.]
\u2026
\u201cAI is a sophisticated human,\u201d Sotomayor said. \u201cAll of its input is input from human beings. And because it is that, it has the potential to perpetuate the very best in us and the very worst in us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That makes it particularly dangerous in \u201cjudging the complexity of human endeavors and in human situations[.]\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There is more at stake than AI\u2019s tendency to lean in to human: all too human errors<\/a>. We<\/em> are the gamble. I think that Sotomayor\u2019s best and worst in us is poetic flair that covers up a far more ominous reality: we have no idea how rapidly incorporating AI will impact us in the long run. Let\u2019s bracket the immediate question of if AI is actually a \u201csophisticated human\u201d (she\u2019s a jurist, not a biologist after all) and instead think of it as a tool; is there any room left for Luddites in the profession? It sounds nice to recommend AI mastery \u2014 whatever that means \u2014 but what will be the subsequent consequences of 10,000 hours typing away at a delusion-encouraging black box<\/a>? While they may be a little over-sensationalized, it is still worth considering the risks of AI-induced psychosis <\/a>developing in communities targeted with adapt-or-die rhetoric. We also don\u2019t know the long-term effects of regular AI use on neuroplasticity<\/a>. The hard-fought talent of thinking like a lawyer could be replaced with thinking like a Harvey or Claude prompter. There\u2019s also the the material conditions of the labor. Lawyers, especially ones in Biglaw, work very long hours and are often sleep deprived. One attorney said that in his 40 years of practice he never slept more than 3-4 hours at a time<\/a>. How does using AI when exhausted change us? And what do you do when the cure all is the source of the exhaustion<\/a>? And this isn\u2019t to say that AI is bad and anyone advocating for its adoption is a snake oil salesman trying to make their money before the bubble bursts. But it is also naive to suggest that some of that isn\u2019t<\/em> happening or that our infrastructure might not be prepared to deal with it.<\/p>\n

Take the process of editing documents. Most lawyers have the experience of submitting a brief you thought was going to change the direction of whatever body of law you were practicing only to get it handed back to you covered in red ink. The social dynamics of getting your work edited by a superior sucks, but it strengthens your writing ability and helps to build a sense of interdependent teamwork. Your work product may end up good enough after a couple rinses cycles in an LLM, but what happens to training and team building after AI enters the fold? Do you get the same degree of editing from your immediate team? Probably not \u2014 your partner or supervising attorney will tell you to run it through the firm\u2019s proprietary AI program a couple of times before you even dream of sending it over. That\u2019s a recipe for alienation. What long-term effects will that have on the industry? We\u2019re already starting to see firms pivot toward laterally hiring rather than bothering to train budding lawyers<\/a>. How sustainable is that really?<\/p>\n

If you use AI of your own volition or because your firm forces you to, Godspeed. Please make an effort to make sure you don\u2019t inadvertently dull your critical thinking skills along the way<\/a>. And if you go the Amy Coney Barrett route and abstain from using AI in your work, you aren\u2019t alone. You should also brush up on the First Amendment<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Justice Sotomayor Says AI Can Be \u2018Very Dangerous\u2019 But Tells Law Students to Master It<\/a> [Law.com]<\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: AI Won\u2019t Replace Lawyers But Can Create Critical Shortage Of Good Ones<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn\u2019t hurt either. You can reach him by email at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a> and by Tweet\/Bluesky at\u00a0@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou must learn to master the dangerous hallucination machine to do good in the world\u201d sounds like an opening line from a Young Adults novel about the folly of rapid technological advancement. It also summarizes a Supreme Court justice\u2019s advice to law students on becoming fluent in AI usage. Law.com has coverage: AI systems are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":148524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chris-Williams-2025-3EoZho.jpg?fit=512%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}