Generative Artificial Intelligence and Legal Education in India: Examining Academic Integrity, Critical Thinking and the Changing Role of Law Teachers

Abstract

The fast development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot has resulted to instability to the foundation of Indian legal education. A study is made in this article about the remodelling in the spheres of learning, research and legal reasoning practices of Indian law students. The focal points are whether over-dependence on AI tools negatively affecting independent critical and analytical thinking of law students; how redesigning of assessment in law schools should be developed and how the role of the law teacher is developing. A doctrinal and qualitative documentary methodology is adopted for this study. It focuses on constitutional and statutory provisions, regulatory instruments of the Bar Council of India and the University Grants Commission, judgments to AI-generated legal material in India and abroad and a structured thematic synthesis of peer-reviewed empirical and conceptual literature. The analysis is arranged around four research questions. The study is updated by constructivist learning theory, cognitive offloading research and constructive alignment. The article suggests that GenAI is a powerful scaffold and possesses significant risk. It democratizes access to explanation and drafting but produces fabricated authorities, promotes cognitive offloading and uncovers the fragility of traditional take-home assessment. Detection-centered integrity policies are indicated as untrustworthy and discriminatory. The article proposes a framework of AI-aware evaluation, process-based evaluation, explicit AI literacy, verification training and institutional governance. It redefines the law teacher as mentor, evaluator, AI literacy facilitator and critical thinking developer. It concludes that legal education in India should neither prohibit nor uncritically embrace GenAI, but should implant it within a pedagogy that upholds professional judgment and ethical responsibility