Technology & Innovation

The Bot that Saved $3 Million

June 30, 2016

A 19-year-old British programmer, Joshua Browder, launched a bot that helps users appeal parking tickets, Danielle Muoio reports for Tech Insider.

According to Muoio, the bot, which has been launched in London and New York, has successfully appealed 160,000 parking tickets out of 250,000, or 64 percent. As of February, the bot had successfully appealed parking tickets representing  a total of more than $3 million in fines.

The service works by asking users a series of questions and using their responses to determine if they have a case. If the bot detects a case, it generates an appeal.

In addition to expanding the cities utilizing this bot, Browder is also developing two new bots:  one to help Syrian refugees gain asylum and another to help HIV positive people understand their legal rights with regard to their medical status disclosure.

Bots such as Browder’s dramatically lower opportunity costs for individuals to gain knowledge. As bots fill other information areas and become more prevalent, the knowledge they add helps to protect individuals against waste, fraud, and abuse, while freeing up people’s time and money for more productive or fulfilling activities.