An intrepid student has created a simple chatbot program that helps people get out of parking tickets.
Cyrus Farivar reports: "Joshua Browder, a 19-year-old British student at Stanford University, has created a chatbot (DoNotPay.co.uk) that successfully challenged parking tickets in London and New York City."
The chatbot works by asking a few simple questions (via AI or webform) and then auto-generating a legal appeal for the parking ticket.
Browder claims that the chatbot has challenged 160,000 parking tickets so far, and has a "low 60 percent" success rate in beating the rap. Browder also credits the success rate to overzealous implementation of parking regulations. Browder also says that the model is likely to work in other cities, because "If it can work in New York it can work anywhere." Seattle is the next target.
FULL STORY: This chatbot appeals parking tickets and wins 60 percent of the time
Modern Love Looks Like Parking Tickets
Fools rush in, they say—with a little push from the Cambridge Traffic, Parking, & Transportation Department.
Parking Ticket Revenue: Which Cities Earn Most?
A list of 15 cities with the highest per-capita parking enforcement revenue.
Why Chicago Doesn’t Own its Parking Meters
More than a decade ago, the city sold control of its curb parking to private investors.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?
Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont