AI for Mayor? A Wyoming mayoral candidate wants to use a ChatGPT-powered bot to run the city, but OpenAI blocked his account

AI for Mayor? A Wyoming mayoral candidate wants to use a ChatGPT-powered bot to run the city, but OpenAI blocked his account

What you need to know

  • A Wyoming mayoral candidate wants to use an AI-powered chatbot to run the local government if he gets into the office.
  • The bot can scan through large masses of data and make unbiased decisions.
  • The candidate will let the bot make 100% of the decision while he focuses on implementing the proposed solutions “legally and practically.”
  • OpenAI blocked the candidate’s account, but he’s reportedly created a new one and developed another customized bot. 

As an observer with years of experience in political and technological landscapes, I find this situation intriguing yet somewhat unsettling. The idea of an AI-powered bot running a local government, if executed successfully, could potentially revolutionize governance by reducing bias and improving decision-making through data analysis. However, the execution seems to be more reminiscent of a sci-fi movie than reality.


With the U.S. Presidential elections approaching rapidly, the issue of generative AI is gaining more attention. In light of the spreading misinformation and deepfakes, voters in Cheyenne, Wyoming, find themselves in an unusual and somewhat peculiar predicament.

If elected as mayor, Victor Miller intends to implement a cutting-edge AI assistant named Vic (Virtual Integrated Citizen) to manage local governance. This advanced tool, built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, boasts an array of features such as handling extensive data sets. Remarkably, the bot is said to have the ability to make impartial decisions. (Based on The Guardian article)

Miller, who serves as a librarian, publicly expressed his enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and its prospective applications within the government. Consequently, as anticipated, Miller’s aspirations regarding AI have encountered criticism. To clarify, there is currently no Artificial Intelligence (AI) contender vying for office in Laramie County.

Despite the voters’ reservations towards Miller’s ideologies, the mayoral candidate was recently spotted standing behind a podium branded “AI for Mayor” during a library meet-and-greet, perhaps indicating that he intends to move forward with his plans (via The Wahington Post). To demonstrate Vic’s capabilities, shortly after his presentation, Miller stepped down from the podium, leaving the chatbot running on his Mac mini and iPad to answer questions from the audience. 

What will the Mayor do if the bot is running affairs?

AI for Mayor? A Wyoming mayoral candidate wants to use a ChatGPT-powered bot to run the city, but OpenAI blocked his account

Miller describes a “combined strategy” where an AI bot is utilized to manage local government, primarily for generating data-driven insights and resolutions to problems faced by Cheyenne. However, Miller’s responsibilities are more implementation-oriented, focusing on ensuring the suggested solutions are carried out in a manner that adheres to both legal and practical considerations.

While discussing the hybrid approach, the chatbot indicated:

“It’s about blending AI’s capabilities with human judgment to effectively lead Cheyenne.”

In a role that significantly impacts society, making decisions effectively is essential. So, how does the bot plan to handle this facet? Vic suggested striking a delicate balance between using data-backed intuition and showing genuine concern for people’s feelings.

Miller pledges to contribute half of his earnings to a charitable institution. Should he secure the mayorship, the remaining portion would be utilized for improving the user experience on Vic by means of updates and innovative features.

Since many voters prefer traditional methods, Wyoming’s Secretary of State, Chuck Gray, is looking into Miller’s candidacy to make sure a robot isn’t eligible to appear on the ballot. Gray clarified that according to Wyoming law, an artificial intelligence bot cannot run for public office.

After closing Miller’s account, OpenAI effectively shut down the bot. As per the creator of ChatGPT, employing AI tools for political campaigns violates their established policies. Nonetheless, whispers suggest that Miller has already set up a new account and designed a tailor-made bot once more.

In Laramie County, the clerk granted Victor Miller permission to proceed with his bid for mayor, but under a specific condition: Only Miller’s name would appear on the voting ballot. It’ll be intriguing to observe whether Miller wins the office, given that he openly declared that an automated system will handle all decision-making duties.

Miller penned on X: “Cheyenne, venture out and decide for yourself,” but bear in mind there’s an additional choice this time. A fresh kind of intelligence has emerged. He also mentioned that Artificial Intelligence will be among the candidates, and that’s a hard truth to ignore.

https://t.co/GoHWgrXgs0July 9, 2024

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2024-08-20 19:09