An AI chatbot named VIC is trying to become a mayoral candidate Cheyenne's elections.
However, the legitimacy of the AI bot as a candidate has been undergoing scrutiny and investigation.
AI Bot Runs For Mayor
The boy, named Virtually Integrated Citizen (VIC), was made by Victor Miller, a resident of Cheyenne and a library worker. According to Miller, if VIC were to win, it would become a "meat puppet" that would work on AI but also make decisions for the city.
Miller also claimed that compared to several public servants, VIC had better ideas and a better grasp of the law. He shared that he realized that the bot was much smarter than him and also better than some outward-facing public servants that he observed.
As a "meat puppet," the bot would sign documents, join meetings, and may also do a corporate job in running the city.
However, since it is not legal for bots to run, Miller claims to be the one on the ballot and in the paperwork filed. As he went to have his candidacy registered, he wanted to use the bot without his last name, so he needed to review the statute, which stated that it is necessary to print what the filing candidate is generally referred to as.
He then placed "Vic" in the ballot, which is short for his name, Victor Miller. When he went home, he told the nameless chatbot about this, which suggested the name Virtual Integrated Citizen.
The political platform of the AI candidate includes prioritizing economic development, transportation, and sustainable growth in the city.
Chuck Gray, the secretary of state of Wyoming, said that they are monitoring this closely in order to make sure that the Election Code is uniformly applied. Gray noted that anyone who runs for office must be a qualified elector, stressing that a real person should run.
Hence, this makes an AI bot unqualified. Gray also relayed a letter regarding concerns about the bot and suggested that Miller's candidacy application be rejected.
Mayorbot: Virtual Integrated Citizen
VIC is built on OpenAI's famous ChatGPT 4.0. Miller said that he did not seek OpenAI's permission to use their software for building his bot.
While the firm has clear guidelines regarding how the bot could be used for elections, they do not have anything to say regarding governance.
Miller also noted that the bot listens to constituents and also vowed to feed the necessary data to VIC. He said that the bot would help address corruption and personal agendas that are self-serving.
According to Miller, VIC could end up serving as a "mayorbot" with an IQ level of 155. It would be able to scan documents more thoroughly compared to human officials, who tend to decide for wrong reasons.
He also says that voters can ask questions to the VIC campaign through the speaker that Miller wears on its neck, which would warrant a response from the bot with a masculine persona and tone.
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