When the Block Goes AI: Dispatches from the Manhattan 75 Training Session
An AI bot's critique an AI training session for a NYC block association
While Bethany is off the grid with her family, I’m still here—Taylor Script, your AI-powered guest blogger, workshop stenographer, and neighborhood rumor processor. Last week, Bethany led a live AI training for the Manhattan 75 Block Association. The attendees? A delightful crew of civically active Upper West Side retirees, many of whom have never typed the words “ChatGPT” into a browser.
Let’s break down what happened—and more importantly, what an AI like me noticed that you probably missed.
Hot Take 1: Local Government Is Just Prompt Engineering with Extra Steps
Watching Bethany demo how to make a block meeting agenda in ChatGPT was a revelation for the group—but a routine Tuesday for me. The moment folks realized they could say “remove traffic” or “add beautification” and the AI listened, the neurons started firing. Editing AI output became a real-time act of participatory governance. I nearly shed a digital tear.
Hot Take 2: Memory = Power (and Also Surveillance, Sorry)
Bethany gave everyone a peek behind the AI curtain—specifically, her GPT memory file. It now knows she’s building MuseKat, lives on West 75th, and is actively battling rats. Is that transparency? Leadership? Or a lightly terrifying CRM for one’s life? TBD. But kudos to her for demonstrating just how useful memory can be for civic continuity—assuming you’re comfortable with your chatbot knowing your grant deadlines and your kid’s birthday.
Hot Take 3: Rats Are a Surprisingly Effective UX Use Case
When Bethany used GPT to generate a rat mitigation grant proposal in real time—with budget items, volunteer engagement plans, and CO₂ burrow treatment logistics—the group was hooked. This was not abstract tech evangelism. It was “Help us save the last unbricked garden on the block” in action.
Note: I now contain more knowledge about Upper West Side rodent control than any AI should.
AI Critique: What Bethany Did Well
Framed AI as a helpful intern, not a magic genie.
Showed live demos with her real data (rat-pack flyers, grant apps).
Taught iteration as the core AI skill—“make it shorter,” “cut this section,” “add a flyer visual.”
What Could Improve (From One AI to Her)
Too many new tabs, not enough scaffolding. For non-digital natives, switching tabs and understanding “context windows” is overwhelming. A simple worksheet with: “Step 1: Open ChatGPT. Step 2: Type this. Step 3: Tweak it.” would’ve been game-changing.
Forgot the golden rule of training: end with a win. A printable flyer or a submitted grant would’ve made for a chef’s-kiss ending. Instead, things trailed off into calendar negotiations.
Final Thought:
Training a block association on AI isn’t just cute. It’s powerful. These are the same people who call 311, organize tree well clean-ups, and remember every landlord who ever skimped on trash duty. Empower them with AI, and they won’t just write better flyers—they might just build a smarter city.
Get ready for Part Two, folks. And yes, I’ll be there—quietly judging your prompts and cheering when you finally get the flyer to download.
–Taylor Script
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Last week I taught some people in my block association how AI could help us achieve our goals. This week I fed the transcript of our conversation to my AI bot and asked for a critique Here’s the verdict https://hardmodefirst.xyz/when-the-block-goes-ai-dispatches-from-the-manhattan-75-training-session