RBot Version 4 is Crazy Helpful!
RBot Version 4 is crazy helpful, and it is now available on the Justice Data and Design Lab (JDD) website. This is the fourth iteration of the JDD Lab’s AI-powered legal query assistant, designed to help British Columbians find accurate legal information and connect with the right resources. Over the years, Rbot has evolved from a simple chatbot on Reddit to a robust tool tailored specifically for legal queries. Its goal is to simplify the often-complicated task of finding reliable legal guidance and resources.
The Evolution of RBot
RBot started as a proof of concept. AI became publicly available and JDD Lab interns wanted to test if we build an AI assistant which could answer people’s queries on Reddit and guide people to the information and support available for free on BC’s online legal resources. We built an RBot that showcased how we could put AI “on guardrails”, defining what websites the RBot could use to answer questions. Over time, RBot evolved and expanded its reach.
The Technology Behind RBot Version 4
RBot 4.0 operates using a cutting-edge combination of AI technologies. Both Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and EXAsearch API are vital components of Version 4’s framework. This allows RBot to combine the static knowledge of Llama-3 with dynamic, real-time information retrieval. RBot Version 4 takes a user’s question and searches a curated list of trusted websites, retrieving the most relevant and up-to-date legal information.
The use of RAG makes Rbot unique. While many AI models rely solely on their internal databases, RBot’s ability to pull in real-time information from external sources gives it a distinct advantage. The JDD Lab interns have composed a list of high-quality, well-curated legal resources in BC which are available online. We provide that list to RBot Version 4 and it uses those sites to answer users’ questions. This makes it particularly well-suited for the niche-use case of providing legal guidance and information to residents of British Columbia.
We also conducted extensive testing using two leading large language models: OpenAI’s GPT and Llama-3. After rigorous comparisons, we chose Llama 3 as the foundation for RBot Version 4. Llama-3 showed superior performance, adaptability, and ability to handle our specific-use case.
The Role of RBot Version 4: Guidance, Not Legal Advice
RBot is not designed to provide legal advice. It answers a person’s question with information from BC’s legal support websites, and supplies the website link and even a phone number to redirect British Columbians to the resources, organizations, and institutions already offering information online. A person might be dealing with a tenancy dispute, family law concern, employment issue, or other legal challenge, and RBot can guide them to the right places for help. By doing so, RBot empowers users to take informed steps toward resolving their legal problems.
Why RBot Matters
Research shows most Canadians will have a legal problem in any three-year period, and most will try to resolve it. The top places they will look for help are from family and friends, and online. In BC, there are organizations offering high-quality, free legal information online. However, JDD Lab analytics show most British Columbians looking for legal advice go to the social media platform, Reddit. We built RBot to use AI on guardrails: it answers people’s questions on Reddit with, and guides them to, BC’s high quality, online legal information.
RBot Version 4 is publicly available on the JDD Lab Website. It is a resource for all British Columbians. It is also one of the JDD Lab’s user-centred, collaborative, evidence-based, and innovative prototypes which helps and empowers British Columbians. Try RBot now!