In a world first, AI lawyer will help defend a real case in the US
A program trained with the help of artificial intelligence is set to help a defendant contest his case in a U.S. court next month, New Scientist reported. Instead of addressing the court, the program, which will run on a smartphone, will supply appropriate responses through an earpiece to the defendant, who can then use them in the courtroom.
In the past few years, AI has burst onto the scene like never before, writing poetry, computer code, and even college essays at the drop of a hat. With every new iteration of the programs being released, the capabilities of the bots have been rising, and of late, AI has entered the art scene as well put forward its most creative side.
In a new development, a company, DoNotPay, which has been training AI, has now claimed that its program will be able to defend a speeding case that is due to be heard in a U.S. court in February 2023. Identities of the individual and the court remain under wraps, but we do know that the defendant is contesting a speeding ticket.
AI alternative to attorneys
Founded in 2015, DoNotPay is an AI solution that is aimed at helping individuals fight against large organizations for acts such as applying wrong fees, persistent robocalling, or even fighting parking tickets. According to the company, most of these cases are winnable for individuals but appeals fall by the wayside since defendants cannot afford high legal fees or do not have the time and resources to fight bureaucracy.
DoNotPay wants to offer its AI-trained program as the means to fight these situations while also saving you time from lengthy conversations with customer care when you wish to cancel a subscription. If the organization can ask you to jump the hoops through the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) when you call, DoNotPay can provide you with the ideal solution with an intelligent responder.
Taking a huge step forward in 2023, the company is set to help an individual defend his case against a speeding ticket, the first of its kind for the company that prides itself as a RobotLawyer. The program will do all the data crunching from past cases to prepare the individual's defense and even respond to the questions raised in court.
What if it fails?
Since this is the AI's very first case, DoNotPay is ready to take on the burden of punishment if the AI's advice does not help the client. Since it is a speeding ticket, DoNotPay will pay for the speeding ticket. If it wins though, it will have a massive victory to its credit.
The real big question, though, is whether this is legal in the court of law. CEO Joshua Browder told New Scientist that it had found a court where listening via an earpiece was within the rules, even though it might not be in the spirit of the rules.
Going forward, the company might find it tough to find courtrooms where the AI is accepted as a legal counsel, at least in the short term. According to its website, DoNotPay's expertise goes above and beyond speeding tickets, and the program, which costs just $36 a year, could offer a very pocket-friendly option for those who want to put up a fight.