Boston University School of Law to Launch AI Certificate Program in Fall 2026

Boston has more than a feeling when it comes to AI.

Boston University School of Law is preparing to launch an AI certificate program in fall 2026 as part of a broader initiative aimed at training future lawyers in the ethical and effective use of AI technologies.

The initiative reflects a growing recognition within legal education that AI is becoming deeply embedded in legal research, writing, and practice. Law school administrators say the program is designed not only to familiarize students with emerging tools, but also to address the ethical and professional challenges that accompany them.

Building an AI-focused legal curriculum

LAW Vice Dean Steven Marks said the school began developing the initiative in response to rapid changes in the legal industry and is now in the process of building out courses that students will complete to earn the certificate.

Students who complete the sequence will be able to demonstrate to employers that they have experience using AI tools within a legal framework.

According to administrators, the program is meant to complement, rather than replace, traditional legal education by adding technical literacy and ethical awareness to core legal skills.

Ethics, bias, and confidentiality at the forefront

A central component of the initiative is its emphasis on ethical concerns, particularly client confidentiality and bias. AI platforms often rely on large datasets that may include biased or incomplete information, and many do not guarantee full data privacy.

School leaders say these risks make it essential for students to understand not only how to use AI, but also when and how its use could create legal or ethical problems.

“AI in law is a different world, and we have to train them how to counteract these negative aspects of AI,” Marks said.

Courses within the certificate program will address these concerns directly, encouraging students to critically evaluate AI outputs and understand the limits of automated tools in legal decision-making.

Faculty adoption and campus-wide tools

LAW faculty have “responded very positively” to the initiative, Marks said. Several courses already incorporate AI tools, including TerrierGPT and Harvey AI, which students can access free of charge.

TerrierGPT, a university-developed platform, is designed to provide students with protected research and data use. John Byers, executive director for BU’s AI Development Accelerator, wrote in a statement to The Daily Free Press that the initiative incorporates TerrierGPT as a core resource.

Students using TerrierGPT will have safeguards around their data, Byers wrote. The platform’s latest update includes more current knowledge, transcription of uploaded audio files into text, and support for a wider range of raw text formats.

Byers also noted growing engagement across campus, writing that there is a “steady uptake” of TerrierGPT by faculty and students. According to Byers, 11,000 unique users have used the platform so far.

Student perspectives and skepticism

While administrators emphasize preparation and adaptability, not all students view the expansion of AI in legal education positively.

Brendan Hamaty, a second-year LAW student, said he sees the certificate as a potential advantage in the job market, but remains skeptical about the broader role of AI in legal thinking.

Hamaty described AI as “offshoring your thinking skills” and called it an “antihuman enterprise,” arguing that it risks undermining core aspects of legal practice such as close reading, critical reasoning, and attention to detail.

“Even if AI can accurately extract useful information from a case for you, it’s going to be at the cost of keeping yourself like legally sharp and on top of your game as a lawyer,” Hamaty said. “There’s very little benefit to it as a result.”

His concerns echo broader debates within the legal profession about whether efficiency gains from AI may come at the expense of professional judgment and analytical depth.

Adapting to a changing legal industry

Despite these concerns, Timothy Duncan, director of the AI program, said the initiative is designed to prepare students for an industry that is already changing, including the possibility that some legal roles may be altered or reduced by automation.

“Students that graduate from BU LAW will be very well-prepared to live in that environment and exist in that environment,” Duncan said. “I don’t think it’s going to replace lawyers, but I think lawyers’ jobs will change.”

Cisco’s chief executive warns that the current AI gold rush will eventually end in a reckoning.

The post Boston University School of Law to Launch AI Certificate Program in Fall 2026 appeared first on eWEEK.