As the United Kingdom gears up for its elections next month, a unique development has come into the spotlight: an AI candidate named AI Steve. This innovative candidate is being represented by Steven Endacott, a businessman from Brighton.
AI Steve is running for Parliament as an Independent, offering voters a new way to engage in the political process. Voters can ask AI Steve policy questions or suggest issues they care about, and these inputs will be used to shape AI Steve’s platform.
Endacott will act as the in-person representative for AI Steve in meetings and parliamentary sessions. He sees AI Steve as a tool to create a more direct form of democracy, where voters have more say in political decisions. Endacott believes that AI can serve as a copilot, enhancing the connection between politicians and their constituents, rather than replacing human politicians altogether.
AI Steve was created by Neural Voice, an AI voice company chaired by Endacott. The AI is capable of handling up to 10,000 conversations at the same time. The idea for AI Steve came from Endacott’s frustration with traditional politics, which he felt often prioritized party strategies over important issues like climate change.
AI Steve aims to change this by transcribing and analyzing conversations with voters. The AI then presents policy issues to “validators,” who are ordinary people that can express their concerns and preferences for specific policies. This process is intended to ensure that the platform reflects the real issues that matter to voters.
Currently, there is a small error on the ballot where AI Steve is mistakenly listed as Steve AI. Endacott is working to correct this mistake.
