Mississippi law school makes AI education mandatory for all students

Mississippi College School of Law has become one of the first U.S. law schools — and the first in the Southeast — to require an AI course for all students, and first-year students completed a two-day intensive mandatory class last month.

Mississippi College School of Law has added a required artificial intelligence course for all students, making it one of the first law schools in the nation and the first in the Southeast to do so. The school says the course aims to teach students how to use AI tools effectively, efficiently and ethically. Last month, first-year students completed the first mandatory class, a two-day intensive that concluded with a hands-on project. The school already offers other AI classes, but the new general course is now part of the core first-year curriculum. Key facts: - Mississippi College School of Law is among the first law schools nationally and the first in the Southeast to require an AI course for all students. - The mandatory offering for first-year students was a two-day intensive class last month that culminated in a hands-on project. - School leadership described the goal as preparing students to use AI tools effectively, efficiently and ethically to avoid shortcuts. - Oliver Roberts, editor-in-chief of AI at The National Law Review, and his company Wickard AI designed and taught the course and reported strong student engagement. - State lawmakers debated broader AI regulations this session; Sen. Bradford Blackmon introduced bills that did not become law and plans to reintroduce at least one next year, as reported. - The article references recent legal incidents reported elsewhere, including a federal court order drafted with AI that contained errors and a case in which a lawyer was fined $20,000 for using AI in filings. Summary: The change signals an institutional effort to prepare future lawyers for AI’s growing role in legal work and to emphasize ethical use of the technology. Sen. Bradford Blackmon has said he will bring at least one AI-related bill back next year; broader policy outcomes and wider curricular adoption are undetermined at this time.