While some may view the concept of an AI politician as absurd or unsettling, Endacott stresses that his platform is genuinely intended to revolutionize political engagement by increasing human participation in decision-making processes, rather than replacing human politicians with artificial intelligence. (Source: Image by RR)

Brighton Pavilion’s AI Candidate Promises Modernized Political Engagement for UK

An AI candidate, known as “AI Steve,” is set to appear on the ballot for the United Kingdom’s general election next month. Represented by Sussex businessman Steve Endacott, AI Steve will run to represent constituents in the Brighton Pavilion area of Brighton and Hove. Endacott, the chairman of Neural Voice, a company that creates personalized voice assistants, explains that AI Steve will act as his AI co-pilot, helping him engage with voters and shape policy decisions by leveraging advanced AI technology.

AI Steve allows voters to ask questions and share opinions on Endacott’s policies through its website, where it provides answers based on a large language model and a comprehensive database of the party’s policies. If a policy does not exist for a particular issue, the AI will conduct research and engage with voters to develop a new policy. As reported in nbcnews.com, this interactive approach is intended to create a politician who is always accessible to constituents, thus ensuring their views and concerns are continuously considered and addressed.

Endacott is also seeking “validators” to score policies from 1 to 10, with those receiving over 50% approval becoming official party policies. His aim is to stay connected with voters on a weekly basis through electronic means, making his decisions based on their feedback. This novel approach stirred significant discussion online, leading to around 1,000 calls to the AI proxy in one night. This method is seen as a way to modernize political engagement, making it more responsive and reflective of the electorate’s needs and preferences.

If elected, AI Steve would be the first AI legislator in public office, though other candidates have experimented with similar technology. Endacott emphasizes that his platform aims to bring more human involvement into politics through AI, enhancing democratic participation by allowing voters to have a continuous influence on policy decisions rather than just during elections. He rejects the notion that AI is replacing human politicians, insisting instead that it serves as a tool to better connect with and represent constituents, potentially revolutionizing how democracy functions in the UK and possibly setting a precedent for other countries.

read more at nbcnews.com