Over two years ago, Joshua Browder, now a junior at Stanford University, created a chatbot that could contest parking tickets in New York City and London. By June of 2016, DoNotPay had successfully contested 160,000 parking tickets — a 64 percent success rate — and earlier this year, Browder added capabilities to assist asylum seekers in the US, UK and Canada. Now, the bot is able to assist with over 1,000 different legal issues in all 50 states and across the UK.
To use DoNotPay’s AI-assisted help, you just type your problem into its search bar and links to relevant aid pop up that are specific to your location. After you navigate through different options, a chatbot then asks you questions and puts together a letter or other legal documentation. The bots can help you write letters or fill out forms for issues like maternity leave requests, landlord disputes, insurance claims and harassment.
Browder hasn’t accepted any outside funding as of yet, but monetization of DoNotPay is in its future. While he hasn’t decided on how that will go, Browder is considering bot sponsorships, like a car dealership sponsoring a parking ticket bot specific to its city, for example.
The “world’s first robot lawyer,” as Browder refers to his service, has beaten an estimated 375,000 parking tickets and saved around $ 9.3 million in fines. If that success can translate to the 1,000 new legal areas the bot is taking on, DoNotPay can become a seriously useful free legal aid.
Via: The Verge
Source: DoNotPay (1), (2)
