Arr, a jolly British matey did employ the magic of AI to forge a grand policy platform fer 'tis 'meaningful participation'.
2023-07-22
"Arrr, me matey Andrew Gray be a crafty scallywag! Usin' his contraptions and this here witchcraft called artificial intelligence, he be gatherin' the thoughts and ideas o' the masses to shape his pirate party plans. Aye, he be findin' common ground and where the sea be rough. Yo ho ho!"
An aspiring British politician named Andrew Gray recently used artificial intelligence (AI) to create his political manifesto. Despite finishing 11th out of 13 candidates and receiving only 99 votes, Gray's use of AI in his campaign has been seen as a brave but unsuccessful experiment. Alan Mendoza, co-founder of the Henry Jackson Society, stated that mainstream politicians are unlikely to copy Gray's tactics in the near future. However, Mendoza believes that AI will play a significant role in how political parties source and target data, as well as shape their campaigns.Gray ran in a surprise parliamentary by-election in the Selby and Ainsty constituency of North Yorkshire. Although he did not win the seat, he received more votes than some other candidates. Gray used a program called Pol.is to gather input from constituents and develop his policies. Pol.is uses machine learning to analyze and group statements, helping to identify areas of agreement and disagreement among users. Gray emphasized that the AI-generated manifesto still required human moderation and analysis to form sensible policy positions.
Experts argue that this approach to building a political platform can engage constituents and promote community involvement in the electoral process. However, ethical considerations and alignment with voters' views are crucial to maintaining trust. While AI can increase a candidate's appeal to younger demographics and early adopters, it may also alienate skeptical voters.
Despite the lack of success in this particular election, the use of AI by politicians is likely to continue. AI has the potential to impact various aspects of the electoral process, including policy development and speech writing. However, it is important to strike a balance between AI's influence and maintaining meaningful participation and interpersonal skills in politics.
Gray plans to share the data he collected during his campaign, which he claimed involved approximately 7,500 votes. This represents only a fraction of the total voting population in his constituency, as only around 36,000 people showed up to vote out of over 80,000 registered electors.