‘First Robot Lawyer’ Set to Defend Human in Court Trial

In a global first and a new advance for artificial intelligence, whose ramifications remain highly questionable, an AI chatbot described by its creators as the “First Robot Lawyer” in the world is going to defend a human during a court trial.

AI Chatbot Making a Robot Lawyer

The upcoming first-ever court defense of a human, which may have presently unimaginable repercussions for justice and how the court system operates, was announced in a report by the New Scientist.

Emphasizing that AI would break a “new frontier,” the report said the AI robot was going to advise a defendant through the defendant’s phone, The US Sun reported.  

The artificial intelligence “lawyer” will be “listening” to the court proceedings during the defendant’s trial in a court of law.  It will be advising its client on what to say or do in a court of law using an earpiece. 

The “world’s First Robot Lawyer” was created by a company named “DoNotPay,” founded by a man called Joshua Browder. The company said its future AI legal defender is a chatbot.  

The report makes it clear what is now to be tested as a “robot lawyer” was, in fact, developed as a smartphone app for battling parking tickets.

However, it was later expanded towards offering additional services of various natures. That includes a function to explain complex topics to people who need help understanding them.

The DoNotPay company website proudly proclaims its app is “the home” of the first robot lawyer in the world.

Claims to Be Able to Handle ‘More Complex Topics’

It also claims its artificial intelligence chatbot could perform multiple functions at the press of a button. Those include “fighting corporations, beating bureaucracy, and suing anybody.”

The DoNotPay website contains a list of features that its chatbox has been “equipped to handle.” These range from “college fee waivers” and “connecting people with inmates” to “helping out users with bills and rent” and “facilitating divorce certificates.” 

The list includes its initial function – providing advice in order to avoid having to pay a parking ticket. The DoNotPay chatbot can give advice on “more complex topics.” Those include setting up fake credit card numbers and fake phone numbers.

Thus, the AI chatbot would supposedly help users avoid the payment of additional fees and provides for more accessible and better filtering of spam.

The subscription service for the DoNotPay AI chatbot app costs $36.00 per year. The report says the first-ever court in which a human is defended by a robot lawyer will be held sometime in February.

However, the app is presently keeping the trial’s exact dates and locations secret. At the present stage, the announcement that a robot lawyer would be defending a human in a court of law is raising many more questions than it is answering.

For instance, it remains to be seen whether – if a robot lawyer is successful – that will lead to the reduction or disappearance of legal fees or even lawyers.

This article appeared in Mainstpress and has been published here with permission.

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