AI for Legal Help is a two-quarter, hands-on course where law, design, computer science, and policy students team up with legal aid organizations and court self-help centers to take on one of the biggest challenges in tech today: using AI to expand access to justice. Students will work directly with real-world partners to uncover where AI could make legal services faster, more scalable, and more effective--while ensuring it's safe, ethical, and grounded in the realities of public service. From mapping workflows to spotting opportunities, from creating benchmarks and datasets to designing AI "co-pilots" or system proposals, students will help shape the future of AI in the justice system. Along the way, they will learn how to evaluate whether AI is the right fit for a task, design human--AI teams that work, build privacy-forward and trustworthy systems, and navigate the policy and change-management challenges of introducing AI into high-stakes environments. By the end, policy lab teams will have produced a substantial, real-world deliverable--such as a UX research report, benchmark dataset, evaluation rubric, system design proposal, or prototype concept--giving students practical experience in public interest technology, AI system design, and leadership engagement. This is the opportunity to create AI that works for people, in practice, where it's needed most. Students from across the university are invited to apply via Consent of Instructor. Students may enroll in up to two quarters, ideally consecutively, so that the research teams are consistent. This is a Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center for Public Service. Cross-listed with the d.school (DESIGN LAW 809E).
2-3 units · Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
AI for Legal Help is a two-quarter, hands-on course where law, design, computer science, and policy students team up with legal aid organizations and court self-help centers to take on one of the biggest challenges in tech today: using AI to expand access to justice. Students will work directly with real-world partners to uncover where AI could make legal services faster, more scalable, and more effective--while ensuring it's safe, ethical, and grounded in the realities of public service. From mapping workflows to spotting opportunities, from creating benchmarks and datasets to designing AI "co-pilots" or system proposals, students will help shape the future of AI in the justice system. Along the way, they will learn how to evaluate whether AI is the right fit for a task, design human--AI teams that work, build privacy-forward and trustworthy systems, and navigate the policy and change-management challenges of introducing AI into high-stakes environments. By the end, policy lab teams will have produced a substantial, real-world deliverable--such as a UX research report, benchmark dataset, evaluation rubric, system design proposal, or prototype concept--giving students practical experience in public interest technology, AI system design, and leadership engagement. This is the opportunity to create AI that works for people, in practice, where it's needed most. Students from across the university are invited to apply via Consent of Instructor. Students may enroll in up to two quarters, ideally consecutively, so that the research teams are consistent. This is a Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center for Public Service. Cross-listed with the d.school (DESIGN 809E).