LONDON-When Joshua Browder developed DoNotPay he called it “the world’s first robot lawyer”. It’s a chatbot - a computer program that carries out conversations through texts or vocal commands - and it uses Facebook Messenger to gather information about a case before spitting out advice and legal documents.
It was originally designed to help people wiggle out of parking or speeding tickets. But now Browder - a 20-year-old British man currently studying at Stanford University - has adapted his bot to help asylum seekers.
In the US and Canada, it’s helping refugees complete immigration applications, and in the UK, it can aid asylum seekers in obtaining financial support from the government. Browder developed the chatbot through the help of lawyers from each of the countries.
“It works by asking a series of questions to determine if a refugee is eligible for asylum protection under international law,” he tells BBC Trending, “for example: ‘are you afraid of being subjected to torture in your home country?’
“Once it knows a user can claim asylum, it takes down hundreds of details and automatically fills in a completed immigration application. Crucially, all the questions that the bot asks are in plain English and artificial intelligence generated feedback appears during the conversation.”
The bot suggests ways the asylum seeker can answer questions to maximise their chances of having applications accepted, for example: “The best answer for your situation will include a description of when the mistreatment started in your home country.”
In addition to a completed application, a refugee also receives location specific submission instructions, details of additional documentation needed and resources for further help.
Currently, the lawyer bot is available via the Facebook Messenger app, making it accessible to Android and Apple device users. Browder says that he hopes to roll the service out to more languages and apps in the future, including Whatsapp.
DoNotPay got plenty of attention after it was first launched in March 2016, and Browder says hundreds of thousands of people have used the app to challenge parking tickets. His own brushes with traffic police inspired him to create the bot.
