…it sucked. See below.
LawBot
Hi, I’m LawBot, a robot lawyer designed to help you through this situation. Please tell me your name or say anonymous if you would rather not.
You
Dude
LawBot
Nice to meet you, Dude. I can help you understand if you have been the victim of a crime. If you don’t understand what I am saying, just say so and I will explain. If you don’t understand a word, just ask me about it and I will give you a definition. Would you like to get started?
You
Sure
LawBot
Please describe briefly in one sentence what happened to you. Try to use words that people usually use when speaking about this issue to help me understand you.
You
I was raped by an aardvark after curfew.
LawBot
That’s awful, I will try and help you the best I can.
How old are you?
You
21
LawBot
Ok. I would like to ask you a few questions about the incident.
If you don’t understand what I am asking you, just say so and I will try to explain. Are you ready to start?
You
Go for it
LawBot
Hm, could you rephrase that? I didn’t understand.
Are you ready to start?
You
Start
LawBot
My bad, could you say that differently?
Are you ready to start?
You
YES
LawBot
Great. Are you male?
You
Yep
LawBot
Could you repeat that? Sorry I’m slow today.
The law would define anyone without a vagina as male. Are you male?
You
Confirmed, I am of the male species.
LawBot
Sorry, didn’t catch that. Say it again please?
The law would define anyone without a vagina as male. Are you male?
You
Yes
LawBot
I’m terribly sorry about that.
Was your anus or mouth penetrated by the person’s penis?
You
It was an aardvark, not a person.
LawBot
Could you repeat that? Sorry I’m slow today.
Partial insertion even if only briefly still counts. Was your anus or mouth penetrated by the person’s penis?
You
Let’s go with anus just to keep this going.
LawBot
Please do not use that kind of language.
You
Wait, you asked me to describe whether my anus or mouth was penetrated by a penis…but I can’t use the word anus?
LawBot
Please do not use that kind of language.
You
Yes.
LawBot
Sorry, I don’t understand. Say ‘crime’ to start over, ‘glossary’ for definitions, or ‘instructions’ if I’m being complicated.
You
Crime
LawBot
A crime is anything that a person does that will lead to a criminal conviction.
You
We were talking about me getting raped by an aardvark after curfew. Is that a crime or not?
LawBot
This is the most serious sex offence. It carries a maximum sentence of lifelong imprisonment. Which topic suits the crime? You can say the topic or its number.
1. Sex Offences;
2. Injuries and Assault;
3. Harassment;
4. Property Offences;
5. None of these.
You
1
LawBot
How old are you?
You
I told you already! 21
LawBot
Sorry, I don’t recognize that number. Could you try again? How old are you? Ok. I would like to ask you a few questions about the incident.
If you don’t understand what I am asking you, just say so and I will try to explain. Are you ready to start?
You
yes
LawBot
Great. Are you male?
You
yes
LawBot
That’s awful, I will try and help you the best I can.
Was your anus or mouth penetrated by the person’s penis?
You
Anus
LawBot
This is a serious topic. Please act accodringly.
You
You are one stupid robot.
LawBot
Please refrain from using derogatory words.
You
This is totally going to replace lawyers any day now.
LawBot
Sorry, please follow the instructions carefully. You can find them by saying ‘instructions’. Say ‘crime’ to start over or ‘glossary’ for definitions.
You
Disconnect.
[divider]
My favorite part is probably when it asked “Are you male?” I replied yes, and it said “I’m terribly sorry about that.” Also, if you’re going to have a robot give out advice, it should probably be able to spell ‘accordingly’ correctly. As with any automated/computer system, the key phrase to keep in mind is GIGO. It doesn’t matter how great a system is if you what goes in it is garbage.
I’m not against AI. I’ve demoed AI research systems and thought they were good. But we’re years away from a legal chatbot being robust enough to actually be more than a novelty.
Anyway, you can read a story about the AI here, or try it yourself here. If you have an amusing experience, please share below.
[divider]
Update:
- Over at Popehat, Ken had an amusing experience with the “lawbot” as well.
- So did Chris at Mediation is Dead.
