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Generative AI Resources for Law Students: ChatGPT

This guide provides an overview of generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, and addresses how these tools may be used in law school and in legal practice.

ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is the game-changing generative AI tool created by San Francisco-based OpenAI.  

ChatGPT – Free Version

The free version of ChatGPT has recently received significant upgrades.  Free users can now utilize several advanced features that were previously limited to paid subscribers:

  • Web Search: ChatGPT can now provide responses using information from the web.
  • Data Analysis: Users can upload files for ChatGPT to analyze, summarize, or create charts based on the data.
  • Image Understanding: ChatGPT can now analyze and discuss photos that users upload.
  • File Upload: Users can upload various file types for assistance with summarizing, writing, or analysis.
  • Memory Feature: This allows conversations to have more continuity.
  • GPT Store Access: Free users can access custom GPT bots in the GPT Store.

While free users now have access to these advanced features, there are some usage limitations, including a limit on the number of messages that can be sent using GPT-4o and lower overall usage limits.  Free users also don't have access to DALL-E for image generation.  

ChatGPT – Paid Versions

ChatGPT Plus ($20/month)

  • Access to GPT-4.
  • Faster response times.
  • Priority access during peak hours.

Enterprise Plan (Custom Pricing)

  • Unlimited GPT-4 access.
  • Advanced security and admin controls.
  • Team management and priority support.
  • Custom GPTs for tailored workflows.
  • Both plans provide faster processing and more reliable access than the free version.

OpenAI o1-preview

On September 12, OpenAI released the o1-preview, a new series of reasoning models that are "designed to spend more time thinking before they respond. They can reason through complex tasks and solve harder problems than previous models in science, coding, and math."  The new models, which currently include o1-mini and o1-preview, are also referred to as Strawberry, their internal codename.

The new o1 models are currently available (with weekly message limits) to ChatGPT Plus and Team users, who can access them through the model picker. OpenAI stated a version of these models will be available in the future, and there are plans for added features like browsing and file and image uploads.

Ethan Mollick describes these new models as "amazing, still limited, and, perhaps most importantly, a signal of where things are heading" and the 9/13 Chain of Thought newsletter contends it "opens a new paradigm in AI progress."