AI Steve: The Future of Politics? UK’s First AI Parliamentary Candidate Aims to Revolutionize Democracy

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Victoria Elliott

UK Elections to Witness First AI Parliamentary Candidate

As election fever grips the United Kingdom with polls scheduled for the coming month, a groundbreaking event is unfolding. For the first time, an artificial intelligence entity, known as AI Steve, is in the race for a parliamentary seat. This digital contender, modeled after Steven Endacott, a business figure from Brighton, is participating as an Independent candidate.

Electors will have the opportunity to vote for AI Steve, in addition to inquiring about its policy stances or presenting their concerns. AI Steve will subsequently integrate these proposals and concerns into its agenda.

Endacott is set to physically attend gatherings and legislative events as a delegate for AI Steve. He views AI Steve as a tool to facilitate a closer relationship between democracy and the public. "In my view, we're essentially transforming the political landscape by integrating AI as a foundational tech, serving as a co-pilot. This isn't about supplanting politicians but about forging a stronger link between them and the people they represent," Endacott explains.

At present, there is an error on the ballot where AI Steve is incorrectly named as Steve AI, a mistake that Endacott is actively trying to rectify.

Neural Voice, a company specializing in AI voices and led by chairperson Endacott, developed AI Steve. Jeremy Smith, a cofounder of the company, mentioned that AI Steve is capable of handling as many as 10,000 simultaneous conversations. Smith emphasized the importance of building a personalized information database and the integration of client data into this database.

The concept behind AI Steve originated from Endacott's personal challenges in pursuing a political career to champion causes important to him. "I'm deeply passionate about environmental issues. To effectively address climate change, significant governmental reforms are necessary," he states. "The real change comes from being part of the system, not just a critic from the outside. We need to be where the decisions are made." Endacott's previous attempts to run for political office left him disillusioned, as he observed that the focus seemed to be more on political strategy and securing "safe" positions than on addressing the concerns of the populace.

He asserts that AI Steve will stand out from the rest. This AI will record and scrutinize discussions it engages in with voters, then present policy-related topics to "validators," essentially average individuals who can signal their interest in an issue or their desire to have a specific policy implemented.

Endacott has announced that his group intends to engage with travelers at the Brighton railway station, situated roughly an hour's journey from London. They aim to solicit these commuters to complete brief surveys related to policy via email during their journeys to or from the capital, as a means of fulfilling this function.

"Endacott believes that employing a system where validators review policies for practicality and have a say in directing parliamentary votes is a logical approach."

AI Steve, which has only been operational for about 24 hours, has garnered significant attention, according to Endacott and Smith. They note that the main issues raised by individuals reaching out to AI Steve revolve around the situation in Palestine and community-specific matters like garbage pickup.

Endacott acknowledges that there may be instances where his personal views or policy inclinations don't align with AI Steve's. However, he asserts his dedication to casting votes that reflect the desires of the constituents as conveyed by AI Steve.

"In a democratic system, the desires of the constituents should prevail," he states. "It might seem like a no-brainer that a politician ought to follow the directives of the people. If he's not on board with that, too bad. He should consider leaving the position."

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