"We've always had a strong focus on law and technology, and if you think about what is top of mind for regulators and policy makers, it's AI," said Adam Sterling, the law school's assistant dean. He said the need for a degree focused in the area has increased, as more companies use AI and the technology becomes something attorneys must be familiar with.
Roughly half of law schools already offer classes focusing on AI, with an even higher percentage offering clinics and other education about using AI tools, according to a recent American Bar Association survey. Berkeley's two-semester course is different in that it offers a standalone degree for attorneys.
The law school said its AI-focused master of laws degree is now open for applications, with classes starting in September of next year for those with juris doctor degrees or the international equivalent. Students can complete the program during two summer sessions, or partially remotely with one summer spent on campus. The program will cost around $73,000.
Berkeley Law already offers a three-day program called the AI Institute for executives looking at the intersection of the technology with law and business, which more than 300 people attended last year. A Generative AI for the Legal Profession course saw 500 enrollees in the last go-round.
Sterling said it is difficult to estimate the size of the first cohort next year. The coursework is still being hashed out, but one class taught by professor Colleen Chien will focus on AI law and policy.
That course will focus on "more of the regulation and legal issues that come with the development and use of the technology," Sterling said, including the implications of the European Union's AI Act, and legislation such as state Sen. Scott Wiener's SB1047 bill, which would require safety testing of some large AI models, if signed into law.
That coursework will "primarily be thinking about how governments are regulating AI" including in the consumer protection, antitrust and privacy contexts, he said.
Other schools offer courses on AI and the law, although not all of them are through law schools.
This year Harvard launched an AI and the Law initiative at its Berkman Klein Center focusing on legal issues created by the rise of AI.
Stanford's marquee Human-Centered AI institute has also run numerous studies focusing on the intersection of AI tools and the legal profession.
Some programs, such as Oakland's Everlaw, are already being used by attorneys in litigation.
But only a handful of schools are offering full-blown AI-focused certificates. Along with UC Berkeley, Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law plans to offer an AI specialization through its science and technology certificate program.
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