Artificial intelligence is bringing a new kind of lawyer to the courtroom.
USA Today reports that a “robot” lawyer will fight two speeding tickets in court next month using Bluetooth.
According to Joshua Browder, CEO of DoNotPay, this will be the first time an AI will be used in a court.
A spokesperson told USA Today that one person would argue their case in person, while another would do it over Zoom. Further details of the case are not being disclosed.
On its website, DoNotPay says it is “home to the world’s first robot lawyer,” and its mission is to “level the playing field and make legal information and self-help accessible to everyone.”
Using headphones, Browder told CBS News, the AI-creation listens to arguments and gives the defendant instructions on how to respond.
While most courts don’t allow defendants to wear Bluetooth-enabled earpieces, Browder hopes that “if these cases are successful, it will encourage more courts to change their rules.”
The outlets also claim that the company will pay the costs if the AI-powered lawyer loses the lawsuit.
So far, the company has used AI to dispute parking tickets and refund faulty in-flight WiFi.
“I started the company by accident at Stanford,” Browder said. “When I moved here, I was a horrible driver and began to accumulate all of these parking tickets. And I couldn’t afford to pay.”
“So I became a legal expert about all the reasons why people can get out of parking tickets,” Browder explained. “And at the same time, I was a software engineer, and I was writing the same letter over and over again for myself and my friends. It became obvious that this is something that should so easily be automated.”
His company has helped win over 2 million service disputes and court cases, but he doesn’t expect the company to go commercial this year.
“This courtroom stuff is more advocacy,” he told the outlet. “It’s more to encourage the system to change.”
