A UK politician has created an AI version of himself to interact with his constituents. According to the BBC, Mark Sewards, a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South West and Morley, collaborated with a startup AI firm, Neural Voice, to create a virtual representation of himself. The chatbot, billed as the "UK's first virtual MP", responds in Mr Seward's voice with advice, support or by offering to pass on a message to his team. The AI version will "help strengthen the connection between an MP's office and the constituents we serve", and will allow people to access support "24/7 365 days a year," the politician said.
The AI chatbot is still a "prototype" and would be adjusted as needed. In a message urging local residents to "give AI Mark a try", the MP said that the "AI revolution is happening and we must embrace it or be left behind".
"We have to embrace the opportunities that are represented by AI and what better way to learn about it then to become it," he said. "I want something that will genuinely be helpful to my constituents and the people I represent and if we can create a model that functions properly without saying ridiculous things then that's the way to go. The only way to do this is to dip your toe in the water and get involved," he added.
According to the BBC, the AI version of Mr Seward records all the conversations, with the aim that his team will be able to pick out the key topics that his constituents are talking about.
While it is still in the initial phase, the AI chatbot is already facing criticism, with many questioning whether the step creates further disconnect between politicians and the public.
"There is the risk here that as an MP you are trying to be more efficient and more present for your constituents, but the knock-on effect is they feel less listened to," said Dr Susan Oman, a senior lecturer in data, AI and society.
There are also concerns about privacy and data security, a lack of human interaction and the bot's ability to resolve issues. According to Dr Oman, the growing use of AI within the public sector has created several issues - particularly for older generations. "They may not realise they're chatting to a bot and often think they are chatting to a real person. This can end up being quite a distressing experience and adds to the confusion," she said.
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Separately, Victoria Honeyman, a lecturer in British politics at University of Leeds, said that the chatbot could create distress for people seeking help for complex issues. "People may be talking about emotionally wrought problems and for those people, being put through a bot, even briefly, might cause more upset," she said.
"Chatbots are developed by humans, so, like us, they can make mistakes and that could end up undermining people's confidence in their MP," she continued.
However, Ms Honeyman she also went on to say that the world is changing so "we need to see how it develops". "With adaptions it may work fine," she said.
