By Nolan Talley, Staff Reporter
In January, the Chester County Court Administration installed artificial intelligence-powered interactive information kiosks in several locations throughout the county. The touchscreen and voice-activated kiosks assist users with accessing court forms, locating court offices and paying fines or bail with a credit card. The kiosks can also access the county’s Human Needs Network, other court departments and community partner organizations.
Chester County is the first in the state to implement interactive AI kiosks, with the American Rescue Plan fully funding the kiosks. Chester County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Ann Marie Wheatcraft feels that AI can better facilitate the public’s access to courts and their services.
“We are installing AI-driven kiosks in several locations to make information and resources more accessible,” Wheatcraft said in a news release on Feb. 6. “Chester County courts are committed to investing in the improvement of services to Chester County citizens.”
The court administration installed the kiosks with an aim to ease the language barrier for Spanish-speaking visitors to the courthouse. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 13.3% of Chester County residents speak a language at home other than English. Chester County Court Services Administrator Suzie Marker helped create the kiosks and believes they can serve Chester County’s diverse demographic.
“We have a huge Spanish-speaking population in Chester County, and we don’t, unfortunately, always have people on staff here that speak Spanish to help them. So, we looked at different technology,” Marker said. “A couple people (who work for the county) saw this kiosk that had been developed in New Mexico for an area that had a lot of dialects.”
Marker also believes the kiosks will help visitors navigate the large courthouse.
“A lot of times people come here, and they don’t know where they’re supposed to be,” Marker said. “It’s not always your best day when you’re coming to court. Usually, it’s not for a good reason. People are upset or maybe anxious. This was a way for them to get a visual idea of where exactly they need to be.”
The county commissioned the company Advanced Robot Solutions to construct the kiosks. The court administration worked with the company for one year to develop a list of the most frequently asked questions and uploaded this information to the AI, named Anita, to build its knowledge of the county and the courthouse. In addition to this initial information, Anita will use its interactions with court visitors to teach itself how to better respond to patrons.
The kiosks are available in the county justice center, court administration office, as well as family and magisterial courts. The county also plans to install them in the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries. The plans for the library kiosks are in the initial stages, and the kiosks are expected to be installed by mid-to-late 2025.
Marker hopes that expanding the kiosks to places like libraries can lower barriers for people who may not have easy access to court services.
“We’re thinking, if we can get them in some of these libraries, we can access a sector of the public that doesn’t have access to justice,” Marker said. “You can also pay fines on them or post bail for someone. Having them in further away places could help in those ways.”
Nolan Talley can be reached at [email protected].
