World News: Talking Tech: A 'robot lawyer' heads to the courtroom

Thursday, January 12

It's Thursday. I think you know what that means: More Talking Tech in your life. It's Brett Molina here with your weekly tech review.

Who's ready for the new show "Law & Order: Robot Lawyer Unit?"

In the criminal justice system, the people will soon be represented by a new group of lawyers powered by artificial intelligence. This is its story. (Dun-dun!)

OK, the show's not real. But the robot lawyer is legit. A startup called DoNotPay bills itself as "the world's first robot lawyer." It will take on two speeding ticket cases in court next month, and an AI will advise defendants on how to respond to judges.

So how exactly will it work? For starters, there's no literal robot shouting "objection" like an android Jack McCoy. Defendants wear an earpiece with Bluetooth connectivity in the courtroom, and the AI whispers instructions on what to say.

The startup's founder admits there are risks allowing an AI to represent you in court, and said it will cover any fines and compensate defendants for joining the experiment.

What else happened in tech?

Climate change misinformation. It's always flourished on Twitter. With Elon Musk in control, it's heating up.

Social media lawsuit. Seattle school district sues tech giants over youth mental health crisis.

Flying, color-changing cars? A look into cars of the future at CES.

Thursday tech tip

Among tech issues, slow Wi-Fi is one of the worst. Your videos don't play smoothly, or websites take an eternity to load. There's hope though. These simple fixes can cure most of your Wi-Fi woes.