Chatbots are becoming a new reality for renters

Landlords are using AI chatbots to manage interactions with their tenants. We hear from one renter who just wants help from a human.

Do you find yourself constantly trying to elude AI chatbots? If you are looking for a home to rent, you may find it is getting a lot harder to get around them. Landlords across the country are embracing AI concierges. NPR's Stephan Bisaha reports on one renter who can only reach his landlord through a chatbot.

STEPHAN BISAHA, BYLINE: Park La Brea in Los Angeles is a big apartment complex. Like, more than 4,000 units big. And Brian Pace has lived in one of those units for about a decade.

BRIAN PACE: And actually, the cool thing is my neighbors are all cool, which is an unusual experience for me, right?

BISAHA: But it's not all California sunshine. Pace says maintenance has always been slow and understaffed. Then Pace found out about a new worker.

PACE: One day, I got a text saying, hi, I'm Liv. I'm, like, the Park La Brea AI, and I'm here to serve you. And my response was, is this a scam?

BISAHA: No scam. From then on, if Pace had a maintenance need, the AI chatbot Liv would be the first to answer. Like when water started pouring in through Pace's ceiling.

PACE: And so we're looking at it going, that's damaging the property. They're going to want to know that as quick as possible.

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