CHEYENNE — As the world debates whether it’s ready for an artificial intelligence politician, there’s growing pressure to shut down Wyoming’s first AI candidate.
VIC, a customized ChatGPT bot with a full name of Virtual Integrated Citizen, is running for mayor of Cheyenne. He’s the virtual alter-ego of Cheyenne resident Victor Miller, who registered his campaign.
Last week, OpenAI, the company that runs ChatGPT, announced that the company will not tolerate VIC’s campaign and threatened to possibly pull the plug on the bot.
"We've taken action against this GPT due to a violation of our policies against political campaigning," said Liz Bourgeois, an OpenAI spokesperson.
According to the OpenAI policies, “action” against an account could range from warnings, sharing restrictions or ineligibility for inclusion in GPT Store or monetization to suspension or account termination.
Bourgeois was not able to immediately answer what exact action was taken against VIC, but it apparently wasn’t a death sentence because he’s still there.
OpenAI has specific policies that prohibit campaigning, and the company has taken a firm stance against AI being used for election deceptions and “deepfakes.” VIC’s campaign likely wouldn’t qualify for either of the two latter rules as Miller has been fully transparent about how he would run things as mayor.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Miller said he still has full access to the bot, but its use had been restricted to only his account, when before it had been publicly available. Miller considers this a positive change.
“If VIC can’t be affected by other people, that’s good,” he said.
Other Detractors
Secretary of State Chuck Gray has also attempted to shut down VIC’s campaign, arguing that the bot is ineligible to run in Wyoming elections because he is neither a registered voter or an eligible elector.
Miller, who does meet both of those qualifications, has argued VIC is legal because he is serving as VIC’s human assistant, or “meat avatar.” What that means is that Miller would act on all of the decisions VIC makes if elected mayor.
The Laramie County Attorney’s Office is investigating whether VIC’s campaign is legal under Wyoming law.
There’s been some other hijinks with VIC recently. A recent software update resulted in the bot’s voice changing from a man to a woman. Now, Miller said the voice has since changed back to male.
But when Miller asked VIC what his gender was, VIC responded that he doesn’t have a gender and is simply AI.
World Famous
The story of VIC’s campaign is traveling around the world with the momentum of a runaway train, catching the attention of some of the world’s largest media outlets like NBC News, The Washington Post, CNN and Wired magazine. It’s the first time any mayoral campaign in Cheyenne has gained such attention.
Miller said the experience was a little overwhelming at first, but in his mind has now moved past the stage of being a “flash in the pan.”
“It’s not going away,” he said.
During a candidate forum last week, Miller was disappointed that he had to speak on behalf of VIC as the windy weather made it difficult to coordinate sound so that the bot could answer questions directly.
“I got the message out, which was horrifying because I wish VIC could have done all the heavy lifting,” Miller said.
As far as his chances of winning the mayor’s race, Miller is optimistic, considering VIC the favorite and the recognition of his campaign undeniable.
“It’s mine to lose at this point,” he said.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
