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   CONSPRCY      How big is your tinfoil hat?      2,445 messages   

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   Message 2,340 of 2,445   
   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   
      
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