- AI-generated political content is increasingly common, with AI Steve entering as a parliamentary candidate in the UK.
- AI Steve, developed by Neural Voice and backed by entrepreneur Steve Endacott, features in the new independent SmarterUK party.
- The AI chatbot, equipped with an avatar of Endacott, engages voters to determine policy preferences, which Endacott will represent in parliament.
- The chatbot facilitates continuous dialogue with voters, aiming to improve transparency and efficiency in political processes.
- Concerns remain about the reliability of AI, given its tendency for biased or inaccurate outputs.
- The campaign includes a robust human-AI collaboration, with plans to involve thousands in policy formation and validation.
- AI Steve is viewed as a pilot tool for potential widespread use of AI in politics, enhancing direct democracy.
Main AI News:
This election year has brought a deluge of AI-generated political content online. During the New Hampshire primaries, a robocaller imitating Joe Biden was widely discussed; meanwhile, voters in India faced a surge of AI-manufactured deepfakes. While synthetic content is not a novel phenomenon, the newfound ease of its production marks a significant shift, with unpredictable ramifications.
In the UK, the role of AI has taken a novel turn. A parliamentary candidate, AI Steve, an initiative by Brighton-based entrepreneur Steve Endacott, is featured on the ballot representing the newly-formed independent SmarterUK party.
AI Steve was developed by Neural Voice, a firm dedicated to conversational AI, chaired by Endacott. The setup includes both a chatbot and an AI-generated visual representation of Endacott.
The strategy involves AI Steve engaging in extensive dialogues with voters in Brighton and Hove, Sussex—its electoral area—to unearth their policy priorities. Subsequently, the actual Steve Endacott aims to advocate these policies in parliament, acting on AI Steve’s behalf alongside the constituents of Brighton and Hove.
Endacott, speaking to The Independent, explained, “While I will be the one voting physically, my actions will be completely guided by my constituents through AI Steve. Essentially, I’m just executing instructions, embodying the true essence of democracy. You must set aside personal biases and political ego to genuinely represent the people’s will—quite a revolutionary approach in today’s political landscape.”
Constituents can discuss policies directly with AI Steve via a chat interface on the candidate’s official site. In a conversation for this report, the AI consistently referred to itself in the third person while shedding light on the objectives of this project.
Initial interactions with the chatbot were somewhat awkward due to delays and the unpredictable length of responses.
When questioned about the potential advantages of an AI politician over traditional candidates, AI Steve highlighted its capacity to enhance political efficiency and transparency. This is achieved by facilitating ongoing dialogues with the electorate, analyzing, and summarizing these exchanges to shape policies that genuinely resonate with the public.
“AI can significantly improve communication between politicians and citizens, fostering a more informed and engaged democratic process,” remarked the chatbot, a sentiment many might find appealing.
Yet, for those keeping tabs on AI developments, the rapid proliferation of chatbots raises concerns due to their opaque algorithms and propensity for biased or inaccurate outputs. These characteristics are far from ideal if the aim is to establish a more representative and transparent government.
This backdrop underscores the AI Steve campaign as a deliberate human-AI collaborative effort, highlighted by Endacott in a communication to Singularity Hub. He describes AI Steve as a “co-pilot” for both himself and the think tank of his party.
Endacott laid the groundwork for AI Steve’s initial platform, and the campaign plans to enlist 5,000 individuals to engage with the chatbot, termed “creators,” to brainstorm potential policies. The feasibility of these ideas will then be assessed by another set of 5,000 “validators,” everyday commuters in Brighton, who will evaluate and score the policies on a scale from 1 to 10. To circumvent impractical policies, only those with a majority approval will be considered further.
As AI intertwines more with the political sphere, the emergence of AI Steve represents an intriguing development, as highlighted by Wired this week. For Endacott, AI Steve serves as a pilot tool for the SmarterUK initiative and the broader concept of AI-human political collaboration.
“The party is keen on recruiting candidates interested in utilizing this technological platform to run in local or national elections throughout the country,” stated Endacott. “Thus, it marks a significant initial step in an expansive project.”
While the notion of an AI candidate on the ballot is eye-catching—given that technology inherently lacks the capability to function autonomously as a parliament member—the proposed human-AI system introduces a compelling concept.
The growing use of chatbots in customer service, where they handle inquiries and gather feedback, mirrors potential applications in politics by substituting voters for customers.
AI Steve’s forte lies in its ability to communicate with the public using everyday language on a massive scale. According to Endacott, “In just the past three days, we received 2,500 calls to AI Steve, a volume unmanageable by a human alone. All calls were documented and analyzed to aid in policy formulation.”
This method could be adopted by other politicians, whether or not they formally list an AI on the ballot, to better grasp the desires of their constituents—a direct connection to elected officials. With human judgment serving as a quality control mechanism, this could evolve into a valuable governance tool.
Endacott expressed that voters are currently disenchanted. By empowering them through AI Steve, he hopes to enhance participation and revive the broader belief in the functionality of democracy.
“We believe by integrating more ‘humans’ into the process, we enhance the human element, maintaining constant connection between the politician and voters, not just during the four-year election cycle after which they retreat to parliament to pursue their agendas,” he concluded.
Conclusion:
The introduction of AI Steve into the political landscape marks a significant pivot towards integrating AI with traditional governance systems, potentially transforming political engagement and policy-making processes. This model emphasizes enhanced transparency, efficiency, and direct voter engagement, reflecting a shift towards more technologically integrated governance structures. For the market, this presents a dual opportunity: the growth of AI applications within government could catalyze demand for similar AI solutions across various sectors, potentially leading to an increase in investments in AI technologies. Moreover, as this approach gains traction, it could spur regulatory developments and create new standards for AI applications in public sectors, influencing market dynamics in technology and governance.
