DoNotPay
DoNotPay is a legal services chatbot founded by Joshua Browder, a British-American entrepreneur. The chatbot was originally built to contest parking tickets, but has expanded to include other services as well. As a "robot lawyer," DoNotPay is a downloadable mobile application that makes use of artificial intelligence to provide legal services, with a subscription cost of $36 every three months. It is currently available in the United Kingdom and United States (in all 50 states). Services. DoNotPay had started off as an app for contesting parking tickets, but has since expanded to include features that help users  with many different types of legal issues, ranging from consumer protection to immigration rights and other social issues. The "robot lawyer" makes use of automation to provide free legal consultation for the public. The application is supported by IBM's Watson computer. DoNotPay has also expanded to include features that help users obtain refunds on flight tickets and hotel bookings, cancel free trials, sue people, offer legal services relating to social issues such as asylum applications and housing for the homeless, seek claims from Equifax during the aftermath of its security breach, provide automated services to users seeking to obtain  U.S. visas and green cards, and file small claims with utility providers and other companies. DoNotPay has also advised students at Stanford University to waive their Student Activities Fees. DoNotPay offers a "Free Trial Card" feature which gives users a virtual credit card number that can be used to sign up for free online trials (such as Netflix and Spotify). As soon as the free trial period ends, the card automatically declines any charges. Reception. DoNotPay has been featured by the BBC, NPR, NBC, "Bloomberg", and "The Washington Times." "The Guardian" reported in 2016 that the chatbot had contested more  than 250,000 parking tickets in London and New York and won 160,000 of them, all free of charge, claiming a success rate of over 60 percent. Browder's technology has received mixed reviews. For example, a writer at "The Guardian" noted that it "just drafted an impressive notice under the Data Protection Act 1998 not to use my personal information for direct marketing." Similarly, a writer with "The American Lawyer" noted that, "one of DoNotPay's chatbots helped me draft a strong, well-cited and appropriately toned letter requesting extended maternity leave." However, "Legal Cheek" tested the service in 2016  with "fairly basic legal questions" and noted that it failed to answer most of them. Above the Law noted that the service may "be too good to be true" due to errors in the legal advice provided and "things as important as securing immigration status, which is one of the services DoNotPay promotes, mistakes can ruin lives." They recommended the service for "clear-cut issues like parking tickets or non-critical matters" but cautioned against it for legal issues with high stakes. In 2019, DoNotPay obtained $4.6 million in funding from Silicon Valley investors including as Andreessen Horowitz and  Founders Fund.