Using a 3D Conversational Assistant Based on Artificial Intelligence to Provide Free Legal Assistance

Introduction: the availability of qualified legal assistance for socially vulnerable groups is one of the key indicators of a legal system’s fairness and effectiveness. In Russia, citizens’ right to free legal assistance is guaranteed at the legislative level – this social function is provided by state and non-state systems of legal consultation, including state legal bureaus and law clinics at universities. However, the existing format of such assistance does not fully meet the opportunities and challenges of the digital era. Despite the legally enshrined principle of accessibility of free legal aid, in practice, many citizens in need cannot receive it in a timely and complete manner. Methods: the methodological framework for the research comprised both the general scientific and special methods of scientific cognition. Among the general scientific methods used were dialectical, formal-logical, induction, deduction, analysis, synthesis, and the structural-functional method. A number of special methods were applied: formal-legal, historical-legal, comparative law, and the method of legal modeling. Results: the paper examines the theoretical debates about the role and significance of AI for legal science and practice. It considers organizational, legal, technical, and ethical aspects of implementing a 3D assistant in the work of student law clinics and state legal bureaus of the Russian Federation’s constituent entities, which provide free legal assistance to certain socially unprotected categories of the population. The advantages and risks of introducing a 3D assistant into legal education and practice are analyzed, and a number of recommendations are provided. Conclusions: digital technologies are being actively integrated into legal life, and interactive 3D conversational AI assistant technology is not a futuristic fantasy but a real existing technology. With organizational and financial state support, it is capable of delivering tangible social outcomes, including a significant expansion of the population’s access to qualified legal assistance. 3D assistants can be used in education, as well as in public reception offices of deputies, state bureaus, and justice of the peace courts, where there is equipment and connectivity. This is particularly relevant for rural areas and small towns, where there is often a shortage of lawyers.