'A-I object': First robot lawyer all set to defend a human in court next month

The world is all set to witness the marvels of a “robot lawyer” at work as an Artificial Intelligence robot is ready to defend its first case in court. According to Metro UK, the robot lawyer will defend a speeding ticket case in February. The AI developed by a company named DoNotPlay will advise a defendant in an entire case that will go on the floor in February. The company involved in providing legal chatbot services was founded by British-American entrepreneur Joshua Browder. 

According to New Scientist, the AI robot will run on a smartphone and will be listening to the proceedings of the courtroom. The AI chatbot will then provide instructions to the defendant on how to navigate through the proceedings. As per the reports, the robot will give out these instructions to the defendant via an earpiece. If the AI loses the case, the CEO and the founder of DoNotPlay have assured the defendant and the court to cover the fines. The location of the court and the identity of the defenders are being kept under wraps for the time being. 

Company intends to help people ‘fight corporations’ through the chatbot

Calling it the “world’s first robot lawyer”, the company claims that the AI robot will help people “fight corporations, beat bureaucracy, and sue anyone at the press of a button.” Browder, who is a Stanford University pass-out, founded the company in 2015. The company which used to provide legal advice through its chatbot decided to pivot to AI in 2020. During his conversation with the science and technology publication, New Scientist, the DoNotPlay CEO asserted that the company is “trying to minimize our legal liability."

“And it’s not good if it twists facts and is too manipulative”, the CEO added. 

According to the reports, the AI software will listen to the court's arguments and analyze them before instructing the defendant on how to respond. Speaking on how lawyers usually charge thousands of dollars to fight a case Browder said, “It’s all about language, and that’s what lawyers charge hundreds or thousands of dollars an hour to do.”

Through the company which was started “by accident”, Browder intends to provide greater legal accessibility for users. With the introduction of AI technologies like ChatGPT and Dall-E, the introduction of a “robot lawyer” has left many surprised.