Wyoming Mayor Candidate Wants AI to Make Decisions for the State if He Wins

A Wyoming mayoral candidate is hoping to let an AI make the decisions for the state if he ever wins in the upcoming 2024 Elections.

Mayoral candidate Victor Miller claimed that the ChatGPT-powered Virtual Integrated Citizen, or VIC, will be the one handling all of Cheyenne's governmental affairs.

According to a Cowboy State Daily report, Miller would be more of a human assistant to VIC rather than the traditional elected candidate sitting in office.

Since an AI cannot exactly run for position, Miller's name is still the one listed in the official voting ballots. He is set to run against Cheyenne's incumbent Mayor Patrick Collins and several other candidates.

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has already urged Cheyenne officials to reject Miller's registration over its "violation of both the letter and spirit, of Wyoming's Election Code," Quartz reported.

Miller does not expect to win the Wyoming election but will help provide "serious commentary" on AI's presence in government and politics.

Before running for mayor, Miller is a computer assistant and facilities technician for the Laramie County Library, according to his LinkedIn profile.

AI Tech Creeps into 2024 Elections

Miller's proposal came amidst AI's growing popularity in politics and election campaigns despite watchdogs and AI experts expressing concerns about the technology's reliability and performance.

Last May, the Federal Communications Commission proposed AI use in political ads ahead of the 2024 Elections.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said that political campaign teams still need to disclose the use of generative AI in their political ads on TVs and radios.

The proposal is being touted as part of the FCC's move to regulate the spread of AI use in election campaigns and prevent misuse.

The commission banned earlier the use of generative AI in spam and robocalls following reports of audio deepfakes of US President Joe Biden, who is also running for his second term, spreading across New Hampshire.

AI Firms Steer Clear from Politics

Amid politicians' aspirations to use AI technology in their campaigns, most AI firms remain hesitant about the prospect.

OpenAI has previously pulled down several AI chatbots of presidential candidates as it vows to prevent abuse and misuse of its AI in political propaganda.

Other platforms like Meta will also increase guardrails to identify AI-generated political ads on the platform as the election period looms closer.