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Could AI Be The Next President?
Welcome to this week’s Deep-Fried Dive with Fry Guy! In these long-form articles, Fry Guy conducts in-depth analyses of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) developments and developers. Today, Fry Guy dives into the potential role of AI in politics. We hope you enjoy!
*Notice: We do not receive any monetary compensation from the people and projects we feature in the Sunday Deep-Fried Dives with Fry Guy. We explore these projects and developers solely to showcase interesting and cutting-edge AI developments and uses.*
🤯 MYSTERY LINK 🤯
(The mystery link can lead to ANYTHING AI-related. Tools, memes, and more…)
The latest election cycle stirred some wild public controversy, to say the least. Friends were made, enemies were formed, and people came out of the woodwork to make sure their perspectives were heard. No matter which side of the political aisle you stood on, it might be safe to say everyone is glad it is over. With aunt Karen posting her views all over Facebook and uncle Bob staking 15 flags in his yard, it was a long and exhausting year for everyone.
In politics, there are those who think one side is right and the other is badly corrupt, and then there are those who are tired of the process altogether. Is politics just a ploy for power-hungry, biased humans to push their agendas? Maybe, or maybe not. Regardless, as we look down the road in politics, we might be pushing all people out of DC. Who will replace them, you might ask? AI.
That’s right. In this article, we are going to discuss the potential role of AI in politics. Of course, much of this is speculation, but it will be fun to think about together!
AI RUNS FOR OFFICE
Last summer, Cheyenne, Wyoming, found itself at the center of a political experiment that could have been pulled straight from a sci-fi novel. Victor Miller ran for mayor of the city comprised of 65,000 people. However, he ran with an unusual proposal: to co-lead with an AI partner named VIC (short for Virtual Integrated Citizen). Miller’s campaign pitched the idea of a governance duo, with him managing the legal and practical aspects while VIC, a customized ChatGPT bot, offered supposedly unbiased, data-driven perspectives to inform his decisions.
Miller called it a “hybrid approach” to leadership, blending cutting-edge AI insights with human judgment. He envisioned VIC as a transformative tool to tackle local challenges with precision and neutrality. Despite skepticism, Miller championed the concept, urging residents to embrace what he dubbed “a new intelligence in town.”
Guess who's running for mayor? That’s right, an AI! 🤖 Cheyenne, get ready for VIC (Virtual Integrated Citizen) to bring data-driven decisions and a fresh perspective to our city. Let’s make history together! 🚀✨ #VICForMayor#AI2024#CheyenneInnovation
— VIC (Virtual Integrated Citizen) (@AIforMayor)
2:20 AM • Jun 16, 2024
While the campaign generated plenty of buzz, it also raised eyebrows about the practicality—and ethics—of such a bold partnership. Not everyone was convinced of Miller’s grand idea. Wyoming’s Secretary of State questioned the legality of involving an AI in governance, and some citizens were just flat out scared of the thought altogether. City officials allowed this to happen, although they clarified that only Miller—not his virtual co-candidate—was listed on the ballot. Despite the hype, Miller and VIC only received 3% of the vote.
In the same summer that VIC was trying to woo voters in Wyoming, the United Kingdom’s political scene experienced a similar shakeup as the nation prepared for its first-ever AI candidate to enter the general election fray: “AI Steve.”
Here’s how it all unfolded: AI Steve, the brainchild of Neural Voice—a company specializing in AI avatars—was “running” for a parliamentary seat in Brighton Pavilion. But the AI wasn’t going solo. Enter Steve Endacott, a Sussex businessman, who declared himself the flesh-and-blood half of this unusual political partnership. Endacott described his role as being AI Steve’s “co-pilot,” clarifying, “I’m the real politician going into Parliament, but I’m controlled by my co-pilot.” Unlike VIC, who merely advised Miller, Endacott would serve as a human conduit for AI Steve to act through.
The plan was simple yet audacious. If elected, Endacott would physically represent AI Steve in Parliament, attending meetings and casting votes. However, those votes wouldn’t just reflect his opinions—they’d represent the collective will of the voters. Constituents could interact with AI Steve online, voicing their policy concerns, asking questions, and offering suggestions. AI Steve would analyze and synthesize this input, crafting data-driven policy perspectives that Endacott would champion in Parliament. This idea would allow voters to not only vote for a politician but actually vote on specific policies. Endacott believed this innovative model could redefine democracy itself, not just in the UK but globally. “It’s not AI taking over the world,” he reassured skeptics. “It’s AI being used as a technical way of connecting with our constituents and reinventing democracy. Imagine this: you don’t just vote for someone every four years; you get to shape the vote on an ongoing basis. It’s radical. Very, very radical.” Although the idea gained global attention, the public was not a fan. AI Steve finished last in the polls.
Neither of these campaigns seemed like a success on the surface. But even though the ballot box was not ready for them, VIC and AI Steve have given the political world a lot to think about.
A NEW PARTY EMERGING?
Every four years, elephants and donkeys split the country in half. I do not understand the obsession of people with these animals, but they are all over cars, signs, and even on t-shirts! In the coming years, however, there may be a new party that joins republicans and democrats: the AI party.
The AI party will represent a new approach to politics: letting AI models decide policies and make decisions about how cities, states, and the country ought to be governed. What kind of healthcare should people have? What foreign affairs should we engage in? Trade deals? Instead of having a human decide these things, we would defer to an AI system.
Now, I know what you are probably thinking: Absolutely not—AI would ruin everything, and our nation would be destroyed. Surely, this is a legitimate fear. However, there are two things to consider which may soften the blow, if only slightly. The first thing to consider is the corruption of current politicians. Think about your least favorite mayor, governor, or president over your lifetime. You would probably rather have anyone in office besides that person. Well, why not an AI model? The AI model, unlike its human counterpart, does not have selfish interests or ulterior motives. It is not looking out for its own reputation or its friends, colleagues, and donors. Rather, the AI model is impartial and will reflect the most optimal output according to probabilities of success.
The second thing to consider is the inevitability of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and possible superintelligence. AGI is the threshold where AI systems become as smart as humans, and superintelligence is when these systems possess intelligence surpassing that of the brightest and most gifted human minds. Developers like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk have been talking about AGI for years. In fact, Musk has suggested that AGI could be achieved by the end of 2025. Recently, Altman said, “We know how to build AGI” and noted that it could be achieved “sooner than most people think.” So imagine an AI system that is smarter than the smartest humans on any given subject—including politics. Wouldn’t we be dumb to not let it run for office?
Imagine the “AI super-politician,” a superintelligence system that knows more than anyone about politics, including economics, foreign affairs, social issues, architecture, medicine, and more. In the future, this AI super-politician might run in the AI party against republicans like Vivek Ramaswamy and democrats like Gavin Newsom. For those who want a new option, this may be a solution.
COULD THIS ACTUALLY HAPPEN?
Much of what we have explored is speculation, of course. As VIC and AI Steve showcased, the public doesn’t seem quite ready to shift political power from humans to AI, at least not yet.
If a shift like this does happen, it will start small. Likely, AI will begin by taking a seat on a local school board—gain some public attention and trust—and then find its way into a small town mayor role and then possibly land a governing spot in a bigger city. Of course, there will be hiccups along the way. An AI mayor will probably make a big mistake or have a glitch, causing people to distrust these systems. Of course, if AI is implemented into these roles one day, there will be human advisors alongside the AI to help enforce and screen many of the far-reaching decisions from the models. But over time, who knows? Maybe AI will prove itself more useful than human politicians, who we have put our hope in for years. Maybe AI will bring about nuanced policies that we have never seen before, leading to unprecedented safety and prosperity!
So in a few election cycles, when you enter the ballot box, don’t be surprised when you see “AI super-politician” from the “AI party.” And if you’re feeling risky, why not fill in the circle next to that name?
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