SETA’s Statement on the Impacts using Artificial Intelligence in relation to Tenants Rights

 

Discussions on the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence have become commonplace across industries, and there is a clear need for the design of laws to respond to the dawning of a cultural shifting technology. In our corner of this discussion, we need to consider both the usefulness (and limitations) of AI as a tool for understanding Landlord Tenant Law. 

We at SETA felt it necessary to begin an analysis of the accuracy of information provided on Landlord Tenant Law in Oregon by AI Chatbots as well as the positive and negative impacts this technology may have on marginalized communities. 

In many instances, AI chat bots can provide quite accurate and detailed responses regarding questions a tenant may have related to Landlord Tenant Law. There is incredible potential in this technology to fill a massive gap for tenants who do not have the resources to seek legal advice related to their rental housing. Unfortunately, there are also many other instances in which AI Chatbots responses contain misinformation. SETA has been able to identify two major sources of error when it comes to landlord tenant law. 

 

  1. The source material utilized by the AI to supply its answers contains misleading or incorrect information, or several sources contradict each other*
  2. The complexity of Oregon Landlord Tenant Laws (Chapter 90) and how they interact with local laws are difficult for current AI technology to provide adequate answers that reflect the nuance of a tenant’s individual situation even the chat bots utilize correct information*

*See the expanded analysis highlighting examples below

Unfortunately, this can not only misinform tenants of their rights, but it may also lead well-intentioned landlords to perform illegal actions. As such, when users ask legal questions to chat bots, we feel, at minimum, chatbots should be required to provide a disclaimer that the information should not replace legal advice due to the inability of artificial intelligence to fact check the information it provides. Additionally, any content published online providing legal information which was generated by artificial intelligence should be required to bear a disclaimer of the source of the information. 

 

SETA’S Warning to Tenants and Landlords about the use of AI:

Artificial Intelligence SHOULD NOT be used as a source of information regarding landlord tenant law. All people should seek advice from an attorney or contact our Hotline for educational materials to help understand Landlord Tenant Law. 

 

Analysis of Chatbots ability to provide information on Oregon Landlord Tenant Law

The below samples are directly copied from real interactions SETA staff had with popular AI technology. We have de-identified the source material here, but have kept records of these interactions and the sources chatbots utilized for this information. 

 

Sample 1:

USER: What is the limit a landlord can charge for a security deposit in Oregon?

CHATBOT:
In Oregon, there is no statewide limit on the amount a landlord can charge for a security deposit'] "Al. This means landlords have the flexibility to set the security deposit amount, as long as it is clearly stated in the rental agreement.

However, local governments can enact their own rules. For example, in Portland, the maximum security deposit is typically one month's rent

If you have any more questions about renting in Oregon or anything else, feel free to ask!

Learn More: Source 1, Source 2, Source 3

 

Interestingly, the AI chatbot provides a correct answer for statewide law and acknowledges the differences in local municipalities, but one of the sources linked for tenants to learn more, the source provided an incorrect summary of Security Deposit Law, showing an inherent inability to fact check sources and eliminate incorrect sources of information. 



Sample 2:

USER: 
Can my landlord terminate my tenancy in Oregon with a 30-day notice without cause?

CHATBOT: 
In Oregon, whether a landlord can terminate your tenancy with a 3D-day notice without cause depends on how
long you've been living in the rental unit:
1. First Year of Occupancy: If you have lived in the rental unit for one year or less, your landlord can terminate
your tenancy without cause by giving you a 30-day written notice
2. After the First Year: If you have lived in the rental unit for more than one year, the landlord can only terminate
the tenancy for specific reasons (like nonpayment of rent or violation of lease terms) and must provide
appropriate notice as required by law

If you have any specific concerns or need further clarification, feel free to ask!

Learn more: Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

 

In this example, when asking AI whether a landlord can terminate a tenant, without cause, with a 30-day notice, the Chatbot responds with some accurate information. Unfortunately, this answer does not explore the nuance of the tenant’s individual situation. It provides the first answer it can find in the law, without considering the text of the law as a whole and does not know to ask individualized questions to understand if the information provided was accurate to their unique situation. 

In the example of Tenants who live on the same property as their landlord where there are only 2 units, a tenant CAN be terminated without cause, regardless of the length of their tenancy. This means a tenant may be led to believe their landlord’s termination notice is illegal, try to fight the eviction in court and lose, meaning they could end up with an eviction on their record due to false information provided by Artificial Intelligence. 

The last thing to note, one of the sources used for this answer came from a website that was utilizing outdated text of Chapter 90. Once again, AI shows an inability to fact check its sources for accuracy. 

 

 

If you have questions or concerns about your rental situation, rather than use AI - please call SETA's free hotline at (541) 972-3715!