AI program slammed for practicing law without a license
While artificial intelligence programs offering legal advice aren't exactly anything new, as Wired's 27B Stroke 6 reports, it looks like we've now seen the first case of one running into trouble with the law for doing so. The over-eager AI in question was offering its services to entrepreneur Henry Ihejirika, who put the program to use on two of his websites, offering bankruptcy assistance to clients without the hassle of a face-to-face meeting. Things were apparently going swimmingly until a bankruptcy trustee noticed errors in some of the forms that were submitted by a client of the site, which led them to investigate the situation, ultimately resulting in Iherjirka heading to court to explain himself. After reviewing the case, a bankruptcy judge ruled that the software went far beyond simply providing clerical services and was, in effect, practicing law without a license. That meant Ihejirka had to pull the plug on the system, as well as pay fines and return all fees he had collected from clients. While the AI could not be reached for comment, it'll no doubt find plenty of work on the inside, helping out prison guards with their taxes.
[Via Boing Boing]
