Judgment, technology, and the future of legal interpretation: A Q&A with professor Andrew Coan and Claude
Can artificial intelligence interpret the U.S. Constitution? It sounds like a question from a sci-fi novel, but it’s an issue that has become a pressing reality. Professor Andrew Coan, the Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, takes on this topic in a new article, “Artificial Intelligence and Constitutional Interpretation,” co-authored by Professor Harry Surden from the University of Colorado. Their work explores not only what large language models (LLMs) can do in legal analysis but also the deeper questions of whether AI should play a role in constitutional interpretation at all.
To put AI’s capabilities to the test, Claude—an advanced LLM—was asked to respond to interview questions about the article on Coan’s behalf, with Coan later reviewing and reacting. The AI responses and Coan’s reactions offer a unique look at how well AI understands constitutional interpretation and where it falls short.