AI chatbot on Wyoming ballot loses mayoral election

( NewsNation ) — The first political candidate to put an AI chatbot on the ballot lost his mayoral race by a wide margin in Wyoming Tuesday.

Victor Miller had promised to govern the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, using a custom-built AI chatbot he named “VIC,” short for “Virtual Integrated Citizen.”

He faced some challenges even getting on the ballot. He was officially listed as the candidate but said that he would merely be the “meat avatar” for VIC.

Miller told The Washington Post that while he would attend ceremonies and events, the bot would sign or veto legislation and take charge of making political decisions.

Of the 11,036 votes cast, Miller and VIC won just 327.

Incumbent Mayor Patrick Collins won his reelection campaign with 6,286 votes.

“Our campaign wasn’t about me as a candidate, but about offering voters a groundbreaking option: the chance to elect an AI that would make 100% of the decisions in office,” Miller wrote in a press release conceding the race. “I served merely as the necessary human interface to get this new form of intelligence on the ballot since current laws don’t allow AI to run independently.”

Miller called himself the first example of a “rationally bound delegate.” His letter also announced the formation of a new group called the Rational Governance Alliance.

“This organization aims to expand on our campaign’s core idea: putting AI directly in charge of governance decisions,” the letter reads. “The RGA’s mission is to create a framework where AI can take on the full responsibility of decision-making in public office, with humans serving as the legal and physical intermediaries required by current systems.”

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