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A woman successfully used ChatGPT to encourage her landlord to fix a washer and dryer that hadn’t worked for over two years.
A New York City apartment’s washing machine was repaired shortly after 28-year-old Svetlana sent a legally charged chatbot letter to her landlord.
Svetlana, who declined to reveal her last name, claimed the bot was “super smart” after citing specific parts of the New York rental law to support her case.
She said, ‘That’s the beauty of ChatGPT; the ability to collaborate, bounce ideas, write thoughts into a cohesive piece.
“It’s like a super smart, objective, real-time sounding board.”
Svetlana, 28, successfully used ChatGPT to write her landlord a legally charged letter
Artificial intelligence bots have also been used in the UK to help with other legal battles
The New York native first had problems with her landlord after receiving a 0.4 percent rent increase, from $1,389 to $1,395 (£1,116 to £1,121).
The news came just days after she applied for a rent reduction after her washer and dryer hadn’t worked for more than two years.
Svetlana had previously written numerous complaints about these machines and asked the AI chatbot to act as a housing lawyer and draft an email opposing the rise.
This attempt was successful, with the landlord repairing these appliances that same month.
“The rent increase alone was not my problem,” said Svetlana.
“It was the guts to raise the rent, seemingly in retaliation after I filed a complaint and requested a rent reduction based on reduced building-wide services.”
ChatGPT took into account parts of the New York rent stabilization code and argued that the rent increase was retaliation, as it had recently filed a request for a reduction.
This was prompted by Svetlana’s request to write a “gripping, compelling, legalese-heavy long letter” which she shared in a TikTok explanatory post.
She continued, “My goal was to get the washing machines repaired, and thankfully they were repaired that month after years of breakdown.
“It took a few tries to get it perfect.
In the photo: Svetlana’s request to challenge her landlord over the rent increase
Result: This letter was created by ChatGPT and forms the basis of what was sent
‘I’ve asked ChatGPT to add more legalese.
“I never got an official response from my landlord. There was a sign in my building saying the laundry rooms were back in service.”
Svetlana’s case is not the first time ChatGPT has been successfully used in a legal battle.
Last month, 22-year-old Millie Houlton from York used the bot to withdraw a £60 parking ticket she was issued despite having a permit.
Motorist Shaun Bosley from Brighton also managed to reduce a fine thanks to ChatGPT.
He had driven through the Gatwick Airport drop-off area last November and several months later received a ‘final notice’ of £100 from NCP, despite no previous correspondence, it was alleged.
Mr Bosley previously said: ‘In the end I just typed: ‘Write an appeal for a fine for driving at Gatwick airport.
“I received a final notice, but never a first notice of the fine,” and there was a great response right away.
Millie Houlton, 22, from York, used the bot to write an email to the council, who subsequently rescinded the £60 fine for parking on a yellow line
Motorist, Shaun Bosley from Brighton, also had fine reduced thanks to ChatGPT (Photo: his full chatbot letter)
As executive assistant, Svetlana already uses artificial intelligence for work, but is now considering using it to solve other legal battles.
She said: “It has certainly bolstered my confidence in the seemingly limitless future of AI.
“We are living in super fun times and it is clear that we are only at the beginning of what is possible.
“I’ve been thinking about sending a scary legal letter to my neighbors who often chain smoke indoors.
“Their smoke seeps into my apartment and it becomes overwhelming for me. Decided not to for now.
“But I use ChatGPT every day, for work and pleasure, and even to seek objective opinions on absolutely anything.”