DoNotPay says it's pivoting from plans to argue speeding tickets in court with AI
DoNotPay says it is pivoting away from plans to bring AI to a courtroom.
DoNotPay, which bills itself as "the world's first robot lawyer," said last month that it planned to take on two speeding ticket cases in court in February, with its AI instructing the defendants how to respond to their assigned judges. The startup said it would cover any fines and the defendants will be compensated for taking part in the experiment.
But CEO and founder Joshua Browder announced late last month that it would be "postponing" those plans, citing "threats from State Bar prosecutors."
"Ultimately, it seemed like a distraction from using chatGPT technology to help with consumer rights issues," Browder said in an emailed statement. "We have decided to focus on consumer rights products, where we are very successful. Courtroom products are too controversial among lawyers and put a target on our backs."
How does DoNotPay work?
DoNotPay, which has been operating since 2015, has released templates that help people appeal parking tickets or request refunds from airlines. It said it has also created a bot that can negotiate bills with companies like Comcast using ChatGPT, or Generative Pretrained Transformer technology, from OpenAI.
In January, DoNotPay said it was planning to bring AI to court by having defendants wear an earpiece with Bluetooth connectivity in the courtroom, likely an AirPod or hearing device, with the AI whispering instructions on what to say in the defendants' ears.
Browder said he had hoped the experiment would loosen courtroom rules against the use of AI in court, which he believes hurts low-income individuals since roughly 80% cannot afford legal assistance, according to the American Bar Association.
What's the future of AI in court?
Some legal experts have voiced concerns over DoNotPay's plans to bring AI to the courtroom, saying it may be considered "unauthorized practice of law” or break rules on recording audio in a courtroom. Others have questioned how effective DoNotPay's tools are.
Knowing where to draw the line on AI’s use in the legal field isn't easy, accordion to Gary Marchant, a regents professor of law and director of the Center for Law, Science and Innovation at Arizona State University.
“This whole question of where an automated system crosses a line is really questionable,” he said.
Lawyers are already using AI in "several ways," like finding relevant evidence and documents in discovery, according to Aziz Huq, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School.
While AI responses aren't always perfect, experts say they expect the legal field will rely on this technology more over time.
"I've used ChatGPT, and it often summarizes the law correctly. But sometimes it makes mistakes," said John McGinnis, a law professor at Northwestern University. "And (that's) not a surprise. It'll get better. But at the moment, I think going into the courtroom was something of a bridge too far."
McGinnis added that AI may displace certain jobs, but the expansion of this sort of technology is good news for consumers looking to save money for legal fees.
“They won't be able to charge as much because the lawyer won't work as much,” he said. “That's great for people of modest needs. So I see this entirely as a plus long-term for consumers. Maybe not so much for the journeyman lawyer.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DoNotPay pivots from plan to bring 'first robot lawyer' to court
