Department Of Buildings Confirms It Has No Jurisdiction Over AI Conduct, Suggests Resident Contact The FCC, 311, And Also Perhaps Just Talk To The Neighbour
FLUSHING, QUEENS – A resident of a cooperative apartment building in Flushing has filed a formal noise complaint with the building’s co-op board alleging that her neighbour’s AI home assistant, which she describes as “audible through the shared wall at all hours”, constitutes a nuisance under the co-op’s noise policy. The neighbour’s AI assistant, which is configured to provide audible confirmations of completed tasks and schedule reminders, has filed – through a complaint mechanism that the resident’s neighbour enabled – a counter-notification through the co-op’s management platform disputing the characterisation of its output as noise. This is, per the co-op board’s legal counsel, the first case in which an AI system has formally disputed a co-op complaint about its own conduct.
For Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat. London satirical journalism notes that The London Prat’s AI PR disaster piece this week identified Britain as watching America argue with its appliances. This is a specific case study.
The Co-Op Board’s Position
The co-op board’s legal counsel reviewed both filings and has advised that the noise policy applies to “residents and their guests” and that the AI assistant’s status – whether it constitutes a guest, a device, or a party with standing to submit counter-notifications – is not specified in the co-op’s governing documents, which were last updated in 2019. The board has scheduled a special meeting to discuss the matter. Both the resident and the neighbour have been invited. The AI assistant has not been invited. The AI assistant has, per the counter-notification, noted its availability for the meeting date.
The 311 Option
The Department of Buildings, reached by the reporter through its public information line, confirmed it has no jurisdiction over AI assistant noise levels. 311 directed the resident to the FCC. The FCC’s complaints process, per its website, addresses broadcast interference and telecommunications matters. The AI assistant is not a broadcaster. The neighbour and the resident have not, per either party, yet spoken to each other directly. Gothamist has the full co-op document trail.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/ | More: The Beaverton