Using AI virtual Assistants for ALL hoa communications

So apparently this is a new thing, at least to me.
I've seen AI chat bots, who are getting amazingly good.
But now they are being bundled with AI email reply bots
Even AI bots that answer phone calls and give customer HOA account balances.

All of these services are sold together to HOA's for $100 a month.(100-200 doors)

Thinking of trying it out for a couple months. Whenever we switch management companies we get a lot more communications. then almost no inquiries. The company claims 97% of issues are solved, meaning I only have to attend to the 3%.

Anyone using AI software with their hoa?

"Amazingly good" does not equal "ready for prime time" for any and all communications.

Boards can't pass their legal responsibility onto AI if the AI misspeaks - it still rests with them, meaning they still have to thoroughly review everything that it produces. The term "generative AI" means that it makes stuff up. And since everything sounds plausible and clearly written, you can end up with nicely polished crap. At least most boards don't make up stuff out of thin air, which generative AI does.

In the last year or so there was a cautionary tale about some lawyers and their firm in the NY who were sanctioned by the state bar for use of AI in some of their pleadings. The lawyers misunderstood what the AI was, thinking that they were using a souped-up version of Google. Instead the AI cited invented cases and attributed them to real people. The court was unamused, as were the various persons cited in the made-up cases. I also recently participated in our annual cyber training at work. One of the modules dealt with how criminals are using AI to make their targets more likely to fall for scams and whatnot. (Free advice: keep your image off the internet.)

At some point in the future AI will probably be a valuable tool and maybe even a replacement for boards. But maybe not - so far I haven't seen any sign that AI can make nuanced decisions that are often needed. The future isn't here yet.

you are right, I need to get them upto speed fast. VPres. just got on board in Dec when other board member left.
Third board member has never done must, last couple of meetings didn't even bother to type up minutes. But we got a new treasurer a few weeks ago, so I'ts me and 2 newbies. Good thing is the new board members seem more eager and want to have monthly board meetings, wheras previous board members only wanted to do quarterly.

anyways we only get a handful of arcs a year, so not big deal
for communications I tallied it up below. I'd like to try the AI receptionist for the first 2 months and then probably cancel it becuaes we only get a few emails/calls per month.

Aug new mgt company and annual fees, due this month so highest volume
30 emails 19 Phone 7 Chat
Sept
12 emails 8 Phone 4 Chat
Oct
3 emails 3 phone 0 chat
Nov.
0 emails, 2 phone 0 chat
Dec
0 emails 1 phone 0 chat
Jan (mgt company mistakenly sent out bill 3 months early) so jump in communications.
11 emails 4 phone 1 chat
Feb
5 emails 2 phone 0 chat.

Based on the numbers you provided, I don't think you need an AI receptionist. It might be necessary if you were self managed, but you have a management company and it seems to me they should be able to handle the bulk of the calls. For things that should be addressed directly by the board, those can wait until the next board meeting - you said the newbies would like monthly meetings, so that should work.

In the meantime, the homeowner should be told the matter has to be handled by the board and it's been referred accordingly - here's the date, time and location of the next meeting, so if you have additional information to add before then, send another email or come to the meeting and speak during the owner's forum.

Homeowners need to understand you and your colleagues have a life outside the association and should respect that - just because they call or send an email doesn't always mean they will get an immediate response shortly after hanging up or hitting "send." They SHOULD get an acknowledgement that the message was received, and that can be automated (within 24 hours is best).

To help get the newbies up to speed, it might be helpful to have them handle some of these emails and phone calls so they can get an idea of what's coming in and how it should be addressed. You could give them a few tips and then they can bring their questions to the next meeting. Eventually, they'll figure out what constitutes an emergency vs. someone ranting and raving (and there's an art to dealing with that).

My job has been doing periodic cybersecurity training for the past year and a half - the chat bot stuff came up earlier this week!

The deepfakes really worry me.

We're rapidly approaching the point where you won't be able to trust anything on the internet. People can't even handle social media and online scams without losing their minds, as implausible and obviously fake as much of those are. What happens when grandma gets a call on her handy-dandy smart phone, and it's her "grandson" with her grandson's face and voice telling her that he's stuck in Europe because someone stole all his money and can she send some? Parents: for the love of all that's holy, will you keep your kids' images and recordings off the internet before you see your kids "starring" in AI kiddie porn? These things are happening right now.

Stephen Hawking predicted that the human race won't survive the development of strong AI. Lots of folks poo-poo'd his comments, but we can see his predictions coming to life as we speak.

Mayeb the owners of this website were prescient in not upgrading the site beyond where it currently is...

I have used it to generate the text of letters (emails). I can give it a list of points and ask for a letter. It uses my points, sometimes re-writing them, sometimes using my phrasing. Then I can review and edit the text for final. It saves some time and generates good copy, often using some better words or phrases that did not occur to me.

I asked it to re-write the above paragraph, and it came up with this:

I've utilized it for crafting letter text, both for physical mail and emails. I provide it with a list of key points, and it then composes a letter, sometimes rephrasing my points and incorporating my own wording. Afterward, I review and edit the text as needed for the final version. This approach saves time and produces polished copy, often incorporating improved words or phrases that hadn't initially occurred to me.

We have a new MC as of 2/1. The Board kept our old PM who cannot spell HOA. He does have many other strengths. Our old MC kept & transferred our previous asst. mgr. who was a similarly poor writer. A few months before her departure, eblasts to owners/residents from the onsite PM office improved a lot in clarity & quality. But got longer. I assumed they or the MC were using some sort of AI.

Our new mgr. asst. is the best writer we've ever had in our mgmt. office… PM or asst.* I do not know yet if she just happens to be really, really good? Or she uses AI? Or her MC “helps” her with AI?

My quibble is that many eblasts are now too long. Our HOA multi-story building has 200+ Units. About 1/2 the residents are over 55 and mainly are owners. The other half are -55 with about 1/2 being owners—all are young professional types. My sense is the very busy, buzzy younger half do not read some of the long-winded eblasts. I also feel they're too syrupy. But often the content is really important.

Jeff, above gives a nice example. The AI version is about 1/3 longer than his original.

Our Owners residents rec'd 3 eblasts from our PM yesterday. Here’s a non-imortant one:

“Dear Residents, 

We are pleased to inform you that the tree trimming service at our commuity has been successfully completed. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding during this process.

As a result, we are happy to announce that the Circle Drive is now reopened for normal use. You can resume accessing this area without any restrictions.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all residents for their patience and cooperation during the tree trimming service. Your understanding has been invaluable in ensuring the smooth execution of this maintenance work.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. We are here to assist.

Thank you for your attention, we look forward to continuing to serve you. 

Best regards,

Your Management Team and Board of Directors”

Hmm, I’m thinking it’s hers as I assume AI would not repeat the appreciation expressions. So, on one hand I really like reading eblasts that are so much easier to understand and smoother. But,on the other, I don’t know how much it benefits the entire HOA if some residents do not read them, for example the dates of inspections of sprinkler systems in our ceilings in a couple of weeks.

*7 PMs & 9 asst. mgrs. over 18 years..

Oh, you both, Wendy & Cathy wrote it as I would have. For many years I worked in settings where "postings" of c racial info were the common way to communicate. I learned then about brevity, color, differing print, and later, fonts & their sizes.

Our ex-MC prided itself in "communication" with owners and for some reason that meant toooo long, detailed and repetitive. I was Sec'y for most of the 14 years of my Board service, but the eblasts are the job of the PM/asst. mgr. I did either write or review longer Board-policy type- communication.

Our new asst. mgr.-- "Lena"--coincidentally came to our new MC from our old MC. She, in fact, worked for a PM who'd been a PM here for maybe 14 months & then was moved to a single vs twin tower HOA. She had a wonderful personality, but as with so many others, was not a literate writer.

I'm now convinced that Lena is writing the eblasts due to small errors that I (can only) assume AI doesn't make. In the above, for instance, "We... extend our gratitude to all residents for THEIR patience and cooperation during ... service. YOUR understanding ...." I took no composition except in high school, but remember something about "agreement," I think. Earlier in the blast and here, "your" is used," so the shift to "their" is some kinda "pronoun" or "case disagreement."

What matters to me is that our PM & asst. get their main job done, which is managing the common areas. IF their eblasts are sharp, to the point and avoid repletion, fewer residents will phone, email or "stop by" to ask: "when will my ceiling sprinklers be inspected, in Unit xx3N?" But the recent eblast on this includes

"Attention xxxx Owners & Residents:

We are sending notice to inform all Residents & Owners that fire inspectors from X&X Fire Inc. will be onsite to conduct the required annual inspection service of both towers from April 29th, 2024 - May 2nd, 2024 from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

The ANNUAL/YEARLY inspections are a mandatory requirement by the State Fire Marshall as noted NFPA 25, California edition. In order to complete the certification, the Association is required to have a certified inspector visually inspect EVERY fire sprinkler head and fire alarm device which includes the ones located inside each individual's private unit."

And then more similar for 1/2 page. The use of "annual/yearly" suggest AI didn't write this.

So I'm thinking that I really want to support having a good writer in our mgt office. but also want their communication to be much more efficient so THEY can do their primary job.. I think maybe the new MC (big, national) is promoting all of this excess verbiage.

I'm pretty sure AI can already do all that and more.

I'm not sure how much of this is going to come through this site, but here are some examples, when asked:

Informal:

"Hey there! Sure thing, an AI is totally down for switching up its style. Just let me know what vibe you're going for!"
Business:

"Certainly, adapting to different styles is within my capability. Please specify the preferred tone and formality level, and I'll tailor my responses accordingly to suit your business needs."
Legal:

"Yes, I can generate text in a legally appropriate manner. It's essential to ensure accuracy, precision, and compliance with relevant regulations. Please provide specific instructions regarding the legal context you require."

These representations provide a visual indication of the different styles through color. Let me know if you need any further adjustments!

Just don't get left behind.

Melissa wrote: “Man that just sucks and looks like someone does not [sic] how to speak a language wrote it.” I think AI might correct to: “Man, those just suck and look like someone who does not know how to speak a language wrote them.”

I think they’re lotsa good fun. Thanks, Jeff.

Yes, Cathy the overuse of “they,”* them,” “their” for many years now in the US is really annoying. And is present too often here. OPs use those words to, I guess?, protect someone’s identity in their HOA to such an extent, I can’t tell WHO “they” is. The PM? The Board director? Often, for example, an OP will write: “They won’t let me have wind chimes.” Who? Did the Board write a letter? Did the PM?

But the eblast above is a different category: It starts Dear Residents. And the pronouns “you” and “yours” are correctly used thruout. But then “Lena” tosses in “their,” which is incorrect. My co-owners & I, in this context, are not “them,” we are “you.” I’m feeling that AI wouldn’t make that mistake. Now I’m wondering if Lena DOES use AI, but then “edits” it.

Tho’ I’ve been off our Board over 2 years now, I still and will always try to come up with ways to improve our Association. One way is for the full-time onsite PM & asst. to be able to, well, “manage” our complicated common areas and common assets—their primary contractual task and the Board's primary duty as defined in our CC&Rs.

To me, anything friendly & reasonable that cuts down on the number of times residents contact “the office,” the better. Clear, succinct eblasts are one way. We now have a resident portal via our new MC where I can make common area “service requests.” I used it once for a routine maintenance request. I rec’d an immediate reply from “the system,” and then another 2 days later when the matter was maintained. Our PM, of course, assigned our engineers to it, but he didn’t have to go back & forth with me. If all residents used this instead of phoning or emailing* “the office,” or mgmt., staff can focus on their assignments/the board's fiduciary obligations.

*I’m not writing about “they” as a gender identity choice.
** emergencies/safety hazards are obvious exceptions.

FWIW, I use "they" and "them" on this site when I'm writing about events in my community and I want to disguise the gender of the individuals I'm talking about. It helps preserve anonymity.

Anyway, the one area where I have high hopes for AI in communications is vetting board decisions. If the AI is taught the governing documents, state laws, etc., then with luck it can tell the board "you can't do that, and here's why". Whether or not the board listens is a different issue, as is where the liability falls if the AI actually gives the board bad advice. But these things aside, having an effective AI serve as guard rails could be helpful for board members at all levels of experience - especially if the AI could tell them, "if you do this, then these things may happen". One area where a lot of people have trouble is thinking about how decisions can play out in the future. Even people who routinely think this way can overlook things.

But we're not there yet, which may be just as well. Right now AI is just spitting out what it knows. What I'm talking about is actual thinking and evaluating - and may be getting into dangerous territory.

Yes, I get "their" etc. is to provide anonymity. I make up gender-neutral names, e.g., "Tony," "Pat," sometimes or use the awkward, but clear "S/he."

Such an interesting use for HOA boards--to vet board decisions. This'd be great in my HOA, partly because our CC&Rs are 80+ pages, current board member don't seem to know much about them. Or our state's HOA civil code. Sigh.

Our PM's supervisor for our new MC attended our HOA's last Board meeting and I was very happy that she very diplomatically corrected the Board so they wouldn't make a certain decision as stated in a motion. Our previous MC boss and one knowledgeable PM would interject sometimes to get the Board back on track or iron out a wrinkle.

I didnt know what an "eblast" was so I had to look it up. Haha. An eblast is a single email to a large group of recipients at once.

So basically..... an email.... to everyone.

Clever marketing word though.....

It's a text document. you change the dues from $200 to $250 or whatever it rises to, takes 5 seconds. I would assume that would be treasurer's role.

JackS20 wrote:
> It's a text document. you change the dues from $200 to $250 or whatever
> it rises to, takes 5 seconds. I would assume that would be treasurer's role.

It's never that simple. The value of "Dues" is going to be used all over the place, especially in any accounting software. If you're lucky, there is someone who actually knows all of the places it needs to be changed. If you're the Treasurer and your HOA employs a PMC, you'll almost certainly need to ask your PM to handle this on their end. The Good Part is that your PM will jump to it and handle it perfectly in less than 10 minutes.

Currently, you simply can't trust AI to produce anything that is completely correct. There needs to be a "check for correctness" step in the workflow. Sometimes this is relatively easy, like, for image generation: it's usually easy enough to look at the generated picture and look for extra fingers, toes, hands, etc. Even then, I'll miss things. It can be embarrassing.

When it comes to stuff like generating code, that's harder but not intractable: there's often a compilation step (which will catch syntax errors) and beyond that, for decades developers have been in the habit of running lots of tests even on code that's been written by humans. So AI doing software development might have some potential.

But when it comes to writing stuff like legal briefs or news articles or anything medical - there absolutely needs to be someone doing fact-checking on the generated output. And currently (and IMNSHO), for anything complicated (like a contract or a lease or a diagnosis), fact-checking the AI on anything serious takes more work than ditching the AI and doing the work yourself.

And the problem (again, in MNSHO) is compounded because people try to use AI to write stuff that nobody bothers to read. Like TOS licenses, or apartment leases, etc; the stuff you're *supposed* to read carefully, but often do not. And it's being "written" by a person who is too lazy or busy to bother actually writing it.

CathyA3 wrote:
> What happens when grandma gets a call on her handy-dandy smart phone,
> and it's her "grandson" with her grandson's face and voice telling her
> that he's stuck in Europe because someone stole all his money and can
> she send some?

I believe I've read that this is happening nowadays with the audio portion - the video is only a matter of time.

KerryL1 wrote:
> "Chloe and Zeus, the dynamic canine duo, and Ninja and Peanut,
> the feline duo, ..."

There's a certain 'buzzfeed' quality to a lot of AI text that makes me want to gag.

SteveM9 asked:
> who will program the ai with useful information and keep it up to
> date? and what will that cost?

Fine questions. I think that a lot of what gets business people excited about this AI stuff is the prospect of customizing systems for specific topics, and then keep them updated and current - all for the low low price of $N/month. Businesses *love* subscription models. For some things, I can see it being useful - I'd love to have a really good grammar checker / editor just for doing stuff like writing this response. No matter how hard I try, there will be some kind of error (like, I initially wrote "customing" but noticed it and changed it to "customizing". It'd be nice to have such a system built into this forum).

CathyA3 also wrote:
> By the by, the AI companies are using the internet to train their
> products (soon to be a subject of litigation!!!). So heaven help us.

Oh, it's already the subject of litigation - there are a number of artists who have serious issues with "AI Art" and how Stable Diffusion and DALL-E and Midjourney scrape image data from the 'net and can use individual artist's styles in prompts as simple as "motorcycle gloves, in the style of H. R. Giger". I haven't really been following it, so I don't know where the litigation is now. I can see how the artists are unhappy about this. But if I'd opted for art school and studied the works and styles and techniques of other artists, I could conceivably learn to paint pictures in the style of Zdzislaw Beksinski (a popular choice). And that's only illegal if I try to claim it was his work. To a certain extent, the last 500 or so years of human progress have been "use a machine to perform a human labor intensive process". I see current AI as just another tool.

While I'm not a fan of text AI, there's the potential that (eventually) they'll get parts of it correct enough to, say, replace the standard phone menu trees that drive everyone crazy because they don't handle our non-standard inquiry, so that the system will at least make a stab at trying to answer your question. In a lot of ways, current text AI technology is like grabbing a random person off of the street and putting them to work at some job. If the job is too complicated, it'll be a huge FAIL. But if it's something straightforward, like directing calls{0}, I think there's a reasonable chance that AI could become fairly good at it. Note that it's a task with a relatively low cost of failure: if the AI can't handle it, it probably won't result in death, injury, or major financial loss. Unless someone makes the mistake of hooking it up to 911.

Finally: CathyA3's "tree trimming" announcement is a Thing of Beauty. Effective communication - especially when broadcasting information to a large number of people - is a skill that might actually be an art.

{0} I intend no offense to any person who does this kind of work as a job.

Bill

"Computers been berry berry good to me"

Hey everyone, lets use AI!

$100 month x 12 m $1200 AI Service
$200 month x 12 m $2400 Mgmt company data entry/updates
-------------------------------
Total $3600

How many people used the AI service this year? 6
So......... $600 per request. Ummmm..... shut it down....... lets do it the old way by phone. Its cheaper.

very awesome thanks for this tip

have you played around with these AI systems? Cause every single one I've like uses a FAQ text document the user creates and the AI uses that to answer questions. It really is that simple. And I've yet to fool it. So instead of assuming how it works, try it out, they all offer free trials.

I prefer not to add more HOA expenses. A typical HOA already has a phone, and a web site, on the phone voicemail you could simply tell them the website for all the answers to their questions and save the AI bill of $50 month.

really? Our self managed HOA does not have a phone? or voicemail? when we used a mgt company they farmed it out to a useless call center that was not more talented then an AI bot. translated, they could only answer the most basic of questions.