The First Robot Lawyer-What Does this Mean for the Future of the Justice System

In one of our recent blogs, The Rise of Automation in the Workplace, we discussed how automation is displacing various jobs. While automated systems can perform factory operations and even tasks like cooking, you may be surprised to learn that technology is also replacing difficult and well-paying professions.

Lawyers have long been recognized as one of the most important professions, consulting individuals, corporations, and governments on legal difficulties and conflicts, as well as defending them in court and legal transactions. Furthermore, it takes seven years to study the legal laws and regulations while simultaneously passing the Bar examination to verify that the law is administered appropriately. Although the law profession is widespread over the world, I'm here to tell you that a new era has arrived that may soon replace the jobs of many legal occupations. It was recently reported that an AI-powered "Robot lawyer" will aid in a legal battle against a traffic penalty next month.

Even if contesting a speeding ticket may not be among the trickiest legal battles, it's crucial to realize that as engineers continue to experiment with automated systems, they are constantly picking up new knowledge and skills that enable them to become more intelligent and complex.

What makes this lawyer bot impressive?

The artificial intelligence developed by DoNotPay, will run on a smartphone and listen to court proceedings in real time before instructing the defendant via headphones. When the trial begins next month, the defendant will only state what the AI instructs them to say.

NewYorkPost states, "The AI app's software was adjusted, so it does not automatically react to everything it hears in court. Instead, it will listen in on the arguments and analyze them before instructing the defendant how to respond.

The company has trained this AI tool on various subjects. It has taken a reasonable amount of time for the tool to understand and ensure that it provides accurate information to the defendant.

What does this mean for the justice system in the future?

Browder, the CEO of DoNotPay, states, "A lot of lawyers are just charging way too much money to copy and paste documents, and I think they will definitely be replaced, and they should be replaced."

In terms of this new AI system, the company states that the "ultimate goal is to have the app replace some lawyers altogether to save defendants money" (NYPost).

For over a few years, AI has assisted law firms in billing hours, assisting with research, applying the law, considering potential solutions, and other tasks that make lawyers' jobs easier. There are also other websites that, if you search for a particular issue, will also present you directly with the relevant laws.

A Los Angeles attorney claims that in the future, AI can be helpful in courtrooms by quickly accumulating information on possible jurors, including their legal backgrounds, and by analyzing facial expressions and body language to ascertain how a jury may feel about a specific issue.

However, AI in the courtroom can also be dangerous and potentially unethical.

The development of AI in courts has also proved controversial. Juror Richardson, Dean of the University of California-Irvine School of Law, acknowledges that AI can be advantageous to the legal profession. However, she urges prudence in how it is taught and developed.

Richardson told Forbes, "People often view AI and algorithms as being objective without considering the origins of the data used in the machine-learning process. Biased data is going to lead to biased AI. When training people for the legal profession, we need to help future lawyers and judges understand how AI works and its implications in our field."

Overall, we may see the use of automatic systems in more complex jobs as technology evolves. Using more sophisticated, effective, and productive systems will replace occupations that humans previously performed. As a result, it's crucial to be informed about the development of automated systems and how they will impact you and global businesses.