Wyoming mayoral candidate wants to govern by AI bot

Ars Technica 2024-06-13

Digital chatbot icon on future tech background. Productivity of AI bots evolution. Futuristic chatbot icon and abstract chart in world of technological progress and innovation. CGI 3D render

Enlarge (credit: dakuq via Getty)

Victor Miller is running for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, with an unusual campaign promise: If elected, he will not be calling the shots—an AI bot will. VIC, the Virtual Integrated Citizen, is a ChatGPT-based chatbot that Miller created. And Miller says the bot has better ideas—and a better grasp of the law—than many people currently serving in government.

“I realized that this entity is way smarter than me, and more importantly, way better than some of the outward-facing public servants I see,” he says. According to Miller, VIC will make the decisions, and Miller will be its “meat puppet,” attending meetings, signing documents, and otherwise doing the corporeal job of running the city.

But whether VIC—and Victor—will be allowed to run at all is still an open question.

Read 20 remaining paragraphs | Comments