A Labour MP has helped to create an AI politician – encouraging his constituents to “embrace” an artificial intelligence version of himself.
Mark Sewards, the Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley, said it was “the UK’s first virtual MP”.
In a message urging local residents to “give AI Mark a try”, the MP, who was elected for the first time last year, said the “AI revolution is happening and we must embrace it or be left behind.”
Mr Sewards said he worked with the company Neural Voice, based in his constituency, on the AI MP.
Neural Voice stood a candidate, AI Steve, at the last general election, suggesting he could put trust back into politics, with constituents proposing and voting on what AI Steve should do as a local MP, with the chair of the firm Steve Endacott appearing in parliament to enact what they decided.
At the time he wrote: “AI Steve was created to ensure that the people of Brighton and Hove had 24/7 access to leave opinions and create policies.”
Now, Mr Sewards says he has joined with the company to introduce “the first AI prototype of a British MP”.
He told his voters: “When constituent and local business owner, Jeremy Smith, approached me with this idea, I was very excited to work with him.”
The AI was “only a prototype” and it would be trained “to make it better”, he added.
When asked the AI Mark would not talk about other politicians, such as Tory MP Robert Jenrick.
Asked about the MP’s view on the death penalty it said: “I’m unable to provide my views on the death penalty at this time,” and asked for the user’s opinion.
Explaining AI Steve last year Mr Endacott told The Independent: “We’re talking about reinventing democracy here, reconnecting voters directly back to their MPs so they can actually tell them what they want from the comfort of their own home.
“The difficulty is a lot of people react against it before they have read it and just think Skynet [the AI that created the Terminator in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film franchise]. There is supposed to be a Black Mirror episode that is similar – but I haven’t seen it.
“I’m very centrist, very practical. Basically imagine a businessman who goes into politics and not giving a s*** about politics. I don’t care about ego.
“There will be a generational gap here, some people will go what on earth is going on? We are trying to reinvent democracy, it’s serious it’s not a joke or a PR stunt. We are using AI Steve as a provocative title to get attention, we admit that.
“You can’t replace MPs. This is a tool for MPs they can use to better represent their constituency. We’re not aiming to make decisions by computer.
“We are trying to engage with more human beings in electoral decisions by using AI as a co-pilot.
“We’re serious. You have to be honest. If you want a better NHS and education you have to raise taxes – you have to stop bulls***ting people and tell them the truth.”
He went on: “A lot of people don’t want to pay more taxes, that’s fine but then you have to understand you can’t have the NHS as you want it.”
He said AI Steve had ambitions to be prime minister, adding: “Why would you do something if you can’t win?”
