Patrick Barry is Director of Artificial Intelligence Initiatives at the University of Michigan Law School, as well as a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. His research focuses on persuasion, creativity, team dynamics, and artificial intelligence.

Among his teaching awards are the Wayne Booth Prize for Excellence in Teaching, the Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Prize, and the Outstanding Research Mentor Award. In addition, he has been selected as a faculty fellow by the Center for Educational Outreach, a Public Engagement Fellow by the Center for Academic Innovation, and the winner of an Arts & Curriculum grant from the Arts Initiative.

An All-American soccer player in college, Barry studied the theatrical aspects of Supreme Court confirmation hearings while earning both a PhD in English and a JD. During that time, he taught in the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic and worked on several projects with the Human Trafficking Clinic.

Barry is the author of 13 books, and he has created a set of online courses for the educational platform Coursera in which more than 275,000 learners from around the world have enrolled. These courses include AI for Lawyers and Other Advocates, Good with Words: Writing and Editing, and Feedback Loops: How to Give and Receive High-Quality Feedback.

A member of the California bar, he also regularly collaborates with various law firms, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.