A court hearing scheduled for February 2023 will go down in history. For the first time, an accused person will receive electronic legal assistance - in the form of a robot lawyer.

Artificial intelligence (AI for short) is currently on everyone's lips. It writes texts, creates works of art and drives vehicles. Now the first robot lawyer is entering a US courtroom. It is designed to help a defendant represent himself in court in the best possible way.

Who is behind the Robot Lawyer?

The AI presented under the name "Robot Lawyer" was developed by the US company DoNotPay (German: Zahle nicht). Founder Joshua Browder had the idea of speeding up public processes with the help of robots many years ago. For example, a so-called chatbot has been helping citizens in the UK to automatically contest parking tickets and parking fines for many years. Relevant information is first requested via a questionnaire, after which the chatbot checks the chances of success of an appeal. It also helps those affected to complete and submit all the necessary documents.

How the robot lawyer works

The robot lawyer goes one step further. The AI runs on a smartphone that the defendant carries in his trouser pocket in court. The app listens to the court's arguments via voice recording. The client then uses AirPod headphones to transmit what and how the defendant should answer the court. The robot lawyer is programmed to reproduce facts correctly, but not to exaggerate or be "too polite". Furthermore, the AI is only supposed to respond to relevant statements, not rhetorical ones.

Controversial gray area

By using an AI in the courtroom, DoNotPay is operating in a legal gray area. In many US states, the use of a smartphone during a court case is prohibited. The use of other devices connected to the internet is also generally prohibited. For this reason, a state in which people are allowed to use AirPods for accessibility reasons was chosen for the launch of the Robot Lawyer - according to company founder Browder. The exact location of the trial and the name of the defendant have so far been kept under wraps by DoNotPay. The fear is too great that the judge responsible could find out about the planned test and prevent it at the last minute.