The first AI-written speech delivered by congressman is as flavorless as you’d expect
Representative Jake Auchincloss speaks to reporters in 2020. | Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesWe’ve reached the political stunt stage of AI-generated text, it seems. As reported by WBZ NewsRadio, CBS Boston, and others, the Democratic...
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We’ve reached the political stunt stage of AI-generated text, it seems.
As reported by WBZ NewsRadio, CBS Boston, and others, the Democratic Representative for Massachusetts, Jake Auchincloss, has become the first member of congress to deliver an AI-written speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. Appropriately enough, the speech was in support of a bill that would establish a joint AI research center run by the US and Israel.
The speech was written using ChatGPT, and is as dull and anodyne as you might expect for a political speech filtered through an AI system based on probabilistic averages. That’s not to say AI text tools can’t generate unusual and creative outputs, but that usually requires a little bit more imagination in both the prompting and the subject matter.
Here, as per WBZ NewsRadio, was the prompt Auchincloss fed ChatGPT:
You are Jake Auchincloss, a Member of Congress. Write 100 words to deliver on the floor of the House of Representatives. Topic: the importance of the United States–Israel Artificial Intelligence Center Act, which the congressman will re-introduce this term.
And here was the speech Auchincloss went with after refreshing it a few times:
“Madam Speaker, I stand here today because I am planning to re-introduce the United States-Israel Artificial Intelligence Center Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that will cement a mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Israel on artificial intelligence research. This is a critical step forward in an era where artificial intelligence and its implications are taking center stage in public discourse.
We must collaborate with international partners like the Israeli government to ensure that the United States maintains a leadership role in AI research and development and responsibly explores the many possibilities evolving technologies provide. The United States-Israel Artificial Intelligence Center Act will allow us to tap into the expertise of both countries and draw upon each other’s resources to explore and develop cutting-edge AI advancements.”
I mean, sure. It has the right sounding words in the right sounding order but is completely devoid of spirit or originality or anything, really. I see “mutually beneficial,” “critical step,” and “leadership role.”
Frankly, it looks like it was written by AI.
