UP Law limits AI in first year

The University of the Philippines College of Law adopted a policy on August 4 restricting the use of artificial intelligence and electronic devices in first-year Juris Doctor courses starting in academic year 2026–2027. The school said the measure was part of a document titled “Philippine Legal Education in the Time of Artificial Intelligence I: Recommitting to the Fundamentals of Legal Analysis.” The policy was adopted by the college’s regular faculty and later posted on the UP Law website. The document frames the move as a response to the “mass availability of generative artificial intelligence” and says Philippine law schools have been grappling with how to prepare future lawyers for a world in which such tools are widely used. UP Law said it was drawing a line first around entry-level training, not banning AI across the whole program. (law.upd.edu.ph) ### What exactly is UP Law restricting? The August 4 policy says AI and technology use will be restricted in first-year JD courses, with the limits covering both generative AI tools and electronic devices. UP Law said the restrictions apply to the first year because those courses are where students build the habits and methods that support later legal analysis. (law.upd.edu.ph) Newsbytes, citing the policy, reported that the change covers academic year 2026–2027. The school’s own posting says the aim is to recommit legal education to the fundamentals before students rely on technological assistance. ### Why did the faculty draw the line at first-year courses? UP Law says first-year instruction is where students learn “close reading, analogical reasoning, source-based research, and disciplined legal writing.” The policy argues those skills are foundational and should be formed before students depend heavily on AI systems that can summarize, draft or suggest arguments for them. (law.upd.edu.ph) The official document says the college is “recommitting to the fundamentals of legal analysis.” That language places the policy inside a broader debate in legal education over whether AI should be introduced early as a tool or later after students have developed core reasoning skills. ### Is this a total ban on AI throughout law school? (law.upd.edu.ph) The UP Law posting presents the measure as a first-year rule, not a school-wide prohibition for all JD students. The title itself refers specifically to “1st Year JD Courses,” and the text describes the policy as the first in a series on legal education in the AI era. That wording suggests the college is separating foundational training from later-stage professional tool use. (law.upd.edu.ph) The policy does not, in the material publicly posted, describe a blanket prohibition extending to every year level or every form of legal technology. ### What does the school say students still need to learn first? The UP Law document says legal education must preserve source-based research and disciplined writing at the start of training. (law.upd.edu.ph) That means students are expected to work from legal texts, authorities and structured written analysis rather than from machine-generated outputs. The policy also links the concern to legal reasoning itself. Newsbytes reported that the college cited worries that regular reliance on AI was weakening students’ legal reasoning and research skills, a rationale that aligns with the official document’s emphasis on fundamentals. ### Where can students and faculty read the policy now? (law.upd.edu.ph) The UP College of Law published the full policy on its official website under its college news section. The posting identifies the document as having been adopted on August 4, 2026 by the regular faculty of the University of the Philippines College of Law. Academic year 2026–2027 is the implementation point named in the reports, and the next concrete step is the policy’s application in first-year JD classes under the rules posted by UP Law. (newsbytes.ph) (law.upd.edu.ph)