 "An AI bot is ‘running’ for the Mayor of Wyoming in US, baffling pundits and opponents")
Imagine a political system so broken that a candidate vows to use AI to make all major decisions, and abide by every word of it like it was handed to them straight from God. Well, one Victor Miller is making waves in the Cheyenne, Wyoming is doing just that.
Miller is contesting the mayoral race with a groundbreaking campaign promise — to delegate all major mayoral responsibilities to an AI bot named VIC, the Virtual Integrated Citizen. Built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4.0, VIC was created by Miller to handle the intricacies of running the city, leveraging its advanced capabilities to make decisions based on data and legal knowledge.
Miller describes his role as merely the “meat puppet,” performing the necessary physical tasks of a mayor while VIC drives the policy and decision-making processes.
Miller’s unique approach has several raises legal and ethical questions. While it is clear that an AI bot cannot legally run for office, Miller asserts that he is the official candidate on the ballot, with VIC acting as his guiding force.
This manoeuvre has drawn scrutiny from Wyoming’s secretary of state, Chuck Gray, who emphasized that candidates must be “qualified electors,” meaning real people. Gray has suggested that Miller’s application could be rejected, citing concerns about the legality and appropriateness of using an AI in this capacity.
The concept of VIC originated when Miller, frustrated by bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lack of adherence to laws, saw potential in AI to address these issues. He fed VIC extensive documents from past city council meetings, enabling the bot to analyze and make policy recommendations. Miller believes that VIC’s ability to process and understand vast amounts of information quickly gives it an advantage over human counterparts, ensuring well-informed and legally sound decisions.
Despite the excitement surrounding this innovative campaign, OpenAI has distanced itself from any political applications of its technology. The company stated that it had taken action against VIC due to policy violations related to political campaigning. Miller, however, remains undeterred, prepared to transition VIC to Meta’s open-source Llama 3 if necessary.
Impact Shorts
View AllVIC, while focused on nonpartisan and data-driven policies, represents a significant shift in how technology could influence political processes. Its proposals emphasize transparency, economic development, and innovation, with a commitment to enhancing public services and infrastructure through advanced technological solutions.
The Cheyenne mayoral race, featuring incumbent Patrick Collins and other candidates, now includes this unconventional bid, challenging traditional political norms and sparking debate about the future integration of AI in public administration.
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