Denver City Council Candidate Demonstrates What “Artificial Intelligent” Mayor Would Do

05/01/2023

Denver City Council hopeful Matt Watkajtys has an unlikely running mate; an AI chatbot that he has programmed to behave as if it were a mayoral candidate.

Making use of an open source AI program called “OPENAI chatGPT”, which others had previously used to write indie-folk lyrics, author sci-fi novels, and write news stories, Watkajtys wanted to test it out on the world of politics. By incorporating millions of lines of pre-existing political text, the AI surprised by not immediately turning to extremes, as had occurred with previous attempts of using AI for political purposes. In fact, the program was using available resources as a method of judging consensus among the public on pressing issues.

The AI mayoral candidate drafted this initial announcement:
“Good evening, Denver, I am honored to announce my candidacy for mayor of our great city. As many of you know, I’m a proud resident of Denver for over 20 years. I’ve dedicated my career to public service and have a deep passion for the city and its people. I believe that our city has the potential to be even greater, and with strong leadership, it can make progress. We can overcome any obstacle and reach new heights. I promise to be a mayor who listens to the voices of the people, who fight for their interest. And who is dedicated to building a brighter future for all of Denver’s residents.”

The AI mayor quickly began outperforming some of the current 20+ mayoral candidates with policy statements on the environment, homelessness, and drug reform. Creator Watkajtys is impressed with the program’s chances should it ever be allowed to run. “I’m reasonably sure that when these debates happen if you put Denver’s AI Mayor on stage, it can hold its own and probably run circles around some of the other candidates, which is bizarre,” he said.