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|    CONSPRCY    |    How big is your tinfoil hat?    |    2,445 messages    |
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|    Mike Powell to All    |
|    MyCity Chatbot gave false and illegal re    |
|    04 Feb 26 09:50:12    |
      TZUTC: -0500       MSGID: 2098.consprcy@1:2320/105 2de89ad6       PID: Synchronet 3.21a-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0       TID: SBBSecho 3.28-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0       BBSID: CAPCITY2       CHRS: ASCII 1       FORMAT: flowed       Zohran Mamdani is set to kill off New York's 'functionally unusable' business       chatbot, which often gave out illegal advice              Costing half a million dollars, the NYC bot failed to serve its purpose               Mamdani calls the business chatbot "functionally unusable" and orders       it        removed        The chatbot repeatedly gave incorrect or illegal advice to city business       owners        Ex-mayor Adams defended the system, claiming improvements would make it the       best chatbot              New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced plans to shutter a business       chatbot launched under Mayor Eric Adams's administration, calling it       "functionally unusable."              At a recent press conference addressing the city's $12 billion budget gap,       Mamdani said the chatbot was costing the city around half a million dollars       while giving unreliable guidance to business owners.              The bot, called MyCity Chatbot, was originally designed to serve as a       productivity tool for business owners, helping them navigate city rules and       regulations.              Chatbot gave false and illegal responses              Testing by The Markup and The City in 2024 found it regularly gave inaccurate       or potentially illegal advice.              For example, it suggested landlords could discriminate against Section 8       tenants and incorrectly advised businesses that refusing cash payments was       acceptable, despite city law.              The tool also misrepresented labor rules, such as minimum wage, and recommended       actions that could expose business owners to legal risk.              Mamdani cited these repeated failures as the main justification for his       decision to terminate the service.              After initial reports, the Adams administration defended the chatbot and       promised future improvements.              "We're identifying what the problems are, we're gonna fix them, and       we're going to have the best chatbot system on the globe," Adams said.              However, the city later added disclaimers warning users not to rely on the bot       for legal or professional advice. The chatbot also restricted the types of       questions it would answer, which reduced its usefulness as a collaboration tool       for businesses.              Built using Microsoft's cloud hosting platform, the bot was part of the       MyCity digital overhaul intended to streamline access to city services. The       foundation reportedly cost nearly $600,000, and ongoing maintenance added       further expense, although exact figures remain unclear.              Beyond financial concerns, the system relied heavily on outside contractors and       complex office software, which contributed to inefficiencies and limited       usability.              Despite several restrictions and updates, the tool reportedly continued to       produce harmful or incorrect guidance.              Mamdani's decision highlights the risks of deploying automated systems as       public-facing tools without adequate oversight.              Via The City                     https://www.techradar.com/pro/zohran-mamdani-is-set-to-kill-off-new-yorks-funct       ionally-unusable-business-chatbot-which-often-gave-out-illegal-advice              $$       --- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux        * Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)       SEEN-BY: 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/14 305 153/7715 154/110 218/700       SEEN-BY: 226/30 227/114 229/110 134 206 300 307 317 400 426 428 470       SEEN-BY: 229/664 700 705 266/512 291/111 320/219 322/757 342/200 396/45       SEEN-BY: 460/58 633/280 712/848 902/26 2320/0 105 304 3634/12 5075/35       PATH: 2320/105 229/426           |
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