Can AI be the next UK PM? Well it's among the candidates seeking votes

UK elections: As many as 46.5 million Britons are eligible to vote in today's election to choose the members of the Parliament across 650 constituencies

One of the contestants in the United Kingdom’s general election this time is a businessman, but not a human. It is artificial intelligence (AI), which is in the fray as an independent candidate.

Businessman Steve Endacott is contesting the UK elections for the Brighton Pavilion constituency, however, not by himself but using his AI avatar. As the country goes to polls today, the voters in the constituency will have the opportunity to choose ‘AI Steve’ on the ballot papers.

The AI avatar, powered by Endacott’s Neural Voice company, was launched into the polls as the UK businessman felt “frustrated” with the "standard politics" of the nation.

 

How will AI Steve form policies for his constituency?

In order to connect with his audience better, AI Steve has also launched his LinkedIn page. The about section of the page says that AI Steve is able to talk to all 45,000 constituents at once with the help of an AI Voice platform.

The potential lawmaker’s goal is to “re-invent democracy” using AI technology. According to its bio on the social media platform, it would form policies based on a transparent voting process.

“A separate group of Validators, who rate them from 1:10, ensures the fairness of the process. A 50 per cent score is required for a policy to be adopted, ensuring that only the most supported policies are implemented,” AI Steve explains the process.

What does the UK election commission think of AI Steve?

The UK election watchdog has clarified that if 'AI Steve' wins a seat in Parliament, the human candidate, Steve Endacott, would be the one to be the member of the Parliament, not the AI entity.

As many as 46.5 million Britons are eligible to vote in today’s election to choose the members of the Parliament across 650 constituencies.

Sunak is in a tight race with Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, with the two rivals vying for a majority government. Either party would need at least a 326 seat majority to form a government. If the Labour Party wins, the development would mean a decisive shift in power, ending the reign of Sunak's Conservative Party.