How Generative AI can Harm Higher Education, with Special Emphasis on Legal Education

Generative AI has the potential to do catastrophic harm to higher education.&nbsp;&nbsp; This is because learning is a biological process that requires years and years of effortful labor.&nbsp; Anything that disrupts this labor will severely damage an individual’s ability to function in the world.&nbsp; Gen AI is such a disruption because it substitutes efficiency for learning.&nbsp; Nothing can compensate for the losses incurred when Gen AI is used instead of the human brain.<br><br>The problem with Gen AI performing learning tasks rather than the student is that there is no learning.&nbsp; This lack of learning applies to both basic and advanced learning.&nbsp; Over reliance on Gen AI produces less factual knowledge and process knowledge than traditional learning in long-term memory—potentially much less knowledge. In addition, it could significantly harm advanced learning.&nbsp; To begin, advanced learning requires a foundation in the brain.&nbsp; Experts have much, much greater factual and procedural knowledge than novices.&nbsp; If such basic knowledge does not exist in the brain (long-term memory), one cannot become an expert.&nbsp; There is no way that an individual can make up for a lack of basic knowledge in long-term memory—not by using Wikipedia or Gen AI.&nbsp; Basic knowledge must be internal for advanced thinking.&nbsp; Similarly, students cannot imprint advanced thinking techniques on their brains if Gen AI does the work for them.