Christopher Pitt launches AI access-to-justice campaign

By AI, Created 11:01 PM UTC, May 27, 2026, /AGP/ – Christopher Pitt, founder of Pursuit To Own, has launched a public conversation on artificial intelligence as a tool for self-represented Americans navigating civil legal problems. The effort comes as new research, court rulings, and legal aid data show AI is already reshaping pro se litigation and could narrow the justice gap.

Why it matters: - Nearly 50 million Americans face civil legal problems without representation each year, making access to basic legal help a mass-market problem. - New research and court activity suggest AI is moving from novelty to practical tool in pro se litigation. - Pitt’s initiative is aimed at helping underrepresented people use AI responsibly to stay in the legal system when traditional support is out of reach.

What happened: - Christopher Pitt, founder of Pursuit To Own and a 20-year affordable housing community developer, launched a public conversation initiative focused on AI as an access-to-justice tool. - The launch was announced May 28, 2026, in Wilmington, Delaware. - Pitt said the effort will continue through speaking engagements, written commentary, and public dialogue with courts, bar associations, and legal aid groups.

The details: - A March 2026 MIT working paper by Anand Shah and Joshua Levy analyzed more than 4.5 million federal civil cases. - The MIT researchers found complaints containing AI-generated text rose from about 1% in 2023 to 18% in early 2026. - The Legal Services Corporation reports that low-income Americans receive no adequate legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems. - The New York County Lawyers Association says nearly 50 million Americans go unrepresented every year in civil legal matters. - New Equal Justice Works research found nearly 8 in 10 Americans view the U.S. legal system as unfair. - A 2025 Everlaw survey found 88% of legal aid professionals see AI as key to closing the justice gap. - In April 2026, a Colorado federal court in Morgan v. V2X Inc. extended work-product protection to pro se litigants’ AI-assisted materials. - In January 2026, the Seventh Circuit declined to sanction a pro se plaintiff in a case that raised AI-use questions. - In March 2026, the Los Angeles Superior Court received the Justice Chin Technology Innovation Award for its CourtHelp AI chatbot.

Between the lines: - Pitt is framing AI as a bridge, not a substitute for counsel. - Pitt said the goal is to help people organize information, build timelines, understand procedure, and meet deadlines without fabricating legal authority or replacing qualified lawyers. - Texas A&M law professor Milan Markovic has warned that AI could deepen the justice gap without reforms, underscoring the debate over whether the technology helps or harms access to justice. - Pitt said both sides of that debate are right about something important: AI alone will not solve a long-running systemic problem, but it can help self-represented people remain in the case while broader reforms continue. - Pitt said his view is shaped by his own experience as a pro se litigant after counsel withdrew about two weeks before a critical federal deadline. - Pitt said AI helped him organize completed legal work, understand procedure, and meet the deadline while he continued seeking qualified counsel. - Pitt said AI can also make later review by qualified counsel faster because attorneys can evaluate an organized record without starting from scratch.

What’s next: - Pitt said the campaign will keep pushing public education on responsible AI use in legal matters. - The initiative is expected to engage courts and legal institutions as AI becomes more common in civil proceedings. - Pitt’s stated mission is to teach underrepresented people how to use AI tools responsibly when traditional barriers to justice remain.

The bottom line: - The debate over AI in the legal system is no longer theoretical. Pitt is betting that responsible AI use can help self-represented Americans preserve access to justice while lawyers, courts, and policymakers catch up.