NYC's Official AI Chatbot Advised Businesses They Could Legally Fire Employees for Reporting Sexual Harassment

New York City launched 'MyCity Bot,' an AI chatbot meant to help businesses navigate local regulations. Journalists tested it and discovered the bot was dispensing flagrantly illegal advice: it told landlords they could discriminate based on lawful source of income, advised businesses they could fire workers who reported sexual harassment, and suggested other labor law violations. The city quietly updated the chatbot and called the errors 'expected limitations of this early technology.'

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🦅EST. 2024 · PUBLIC RECORDDEPT. OF AI WEIRDNESS
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Government AINYCLabor LawChatbotIllegal Advice

NYC's Official AI Chatbot Advised Businesses They Could Legally Fire Employees for Reporting Sexual Harassment

Filed by @city_hall_watcherTool: MyCity Bot[original source ↗]
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New York City launched 'MyCity Bot,' an AI chatbot meant to help businesses navigate local regulations. Journalists tested it and discovered the bot was dispensing flagrantly illegal advice: it told landlords they could discriminate based on lawful source of income, advised businesses they could fire workers who reported sexual harassment, and suggested other labor law violations. The city quietly updated the chatbot and called the errors 'expected limitations of this early technology.'

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8/10 — Significantly weird
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