The DoNotPay legal services chatbot is aiming to be “the world’s first robot lawyer,” with the AI legal advisor set to put its skills to use in a real courtroom.
AI has seen significant growth over the past few years, with more time and money going into technological advancements. One such advancement is in chatbots. Services such as ChatGPT have shown that they are capable of writing factually correct articles, poems, and even some code. So much so that educational bodies are banning its use in schools.
DoNotPay started in 2015 as a basic chatbot that could help users with legal questions by using conversation templates. Reports from Gizmodo state that the chatbot was an early success and contested 160,000 parking tickets across New York and London. With the release of other powerful chatbot services like the before-mentioned ChatGPT, those behind DoNotPay decided to take things to the next level.
AI assistance
The AI legal advisor is now intended to be used in a real courtroom for the very first time. By law, in most countries, the use of phones and devices connected to the internet are banned from the room. However, via a loophole, the DoNotPay AI will be used by the defendant via an earpiece. The AI will then be able to directly feed guidance in terms of what to say to defend against paying a speeding charge.
The firm’s founder, Joshua Browder said that the company is also working against a speeding ticket case which will take place over a Zoom trial. In this case, the DoNotPay legal advisor will offer defence through the use of a teleprompter. While there is no specific law against using AI legal aid, these cases will be working in a grey area.
Browder has stated, “it’s an experiment and we like to take risks” regarding both of the speeding fines. The company has said they intend to take responsibility if fines are issued due to the involvement of the AI. Each of the defendants has agreed to these terms and will be compensated for being a part of the experiment.
Goals for the future
The endgame for the AI is to see it become a supplant to some lawyers entirely. A service that will be available to all and can help consumers fight against large corporations. The hope is to ensure that everyone has access to helpful legal guidance.
Browder comments on the DoNotPay website that in many of these cases, the odds against consumers are unsure and unjust. Many big corporations have an army of lawyers, making it very difficult for an individual to stand up to them. However, by using DoNotPay, the playing field can be levelled.
Results from both court cases are expected to be shared sometime in late February.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
