Many Americans are nervous about artificial intelligence’s (AI) evolving abilities to replace the human labor force. That fear may have reached its limit for job replacement capabilities, as efforts to install an AI bot as mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, have hit a snag.
Filing for Mayoral Candidacy with an AI Bot
Cheyenne, Wyoming, resident Victor Miller, age 42, recently filed paperwork to run for mayor of Cheyenne. Uniquely, Miller has committed to allowing an AI Chatbot named “Vic” to make all decisions on Miller’s behalf if he is elected to office. Vic’s name is an acronym for Miller’s personalized ChatGPT bot, Virtual Integrated Citizen. Vic’s name appears as the candidate for office, and Miller’s information fills out the forms.
Miller’s Role and Vic’s Decision-Making
Miller has said that he will conduct any physical requirements of the mayor’s job, such as ribbon cuttings and appearances, whereas Vic will make the decisions.
The First Electoral Hurdle
Vic’s first electoral hurdle will be an August primary, in which he will compete with several other candidates to advance to the November mayoral election.
Legal Challenges
A second hurdle facing Vic’s candidacy is legal. Wyoming’s Secretary of State, Chuck Gray, said, “Wyoming law is obvious that AI is not eligible as a candidate for any office. An AI bot is not a qualified elector.”
County Authorities’ Role
While the Secretary of State has weighed in, his pronouncement is not the end for Vic’s candidacy, as the county authorities govern the race for Cheyenne mayor. The chatbot could win the mayoral primary if the country authorities authorize Vic to be named on the ballot.
Local Level Approval
At the local level in Cheyenne, Matt Murphy, spokesperson for the city, wrote to NBC News that Miller “appeared in person at the city clerk’s office to file and met the statutory requirements to [run for mayor].”
Candidacy vs. Ballot Naming
The question of Miller’s candidacy is substantially and legally different than his request that Vic, the bot, be named on the ballot. Laramie County Clerk’s office has yet to comment on the legality or validity of Miller’s request. For one thing, Miller can register to vote; Vic, not a human over 18, cannot.
Inspiration for Running
Miller’s foray into local politics came following the denial of his request for public records. He believed the city’s denial was illegal and mused that an AI bot would know the law.
Miller’s Belief in AI’s Legal Knowledge
Said Miller, “It knows it thoroughly, understands it completely. And had I been interacting with it instead of the fallible human, I would have gotten my request fulfilled per the law.”
Public Interaction with Vic
Miller even wears a speaker that allows Vic to interact with voters when out in public. Voters can ask Miller questions, who activates Vic to respond via a speaker. This removes the human element from the decision-making process and allows the bot to rely on its exhaustible catalog of information.
AI Idiosyncrasies
Just as the information produced by AI is not always dependable, the Vic bot also has some fluctuations and idiosyncrasies, such as the change in voice from male to female and the change in the way the bot refers to itself. Previously, it had been Vic, but it has now begun spelling out the name V-I-C.
Vic’s Political Platform
Perhaps most voters are interested in Vic’s political platform needing to be more conclusive; voters cannot count on Vic’s positions or consistency. Miller believes that the chatbot reflects the “government transparency” initiatives primarily supported by the Silicon Valley programmers that constructed AI platforms.
Miller’s Belief in AI’s Evolution
However, Miller said, “I believe that as they get smarter, they shed a lot of those biases, and what we end up with is more intelligence, less biases, and really kind of a showcasing of just pure data-driven analysis of what’s happening in the world.”
