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    AI-powered bot stands in for absent candidate in Virginia debate

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    US Congressional independent candidate Bentley Hensel used an AI bot to debate after competitor Don Beyer dropped out. The “DonBot”, representing Beyer’s policies, was created using OpenAI’s technology and transferred to Cloudflare Workers due to OpenAI’s political use limitations. The debate was live-streamed despite a few technical issues. Beyer and Hensel both support tech-based government innovation. With looming elections, candidates’ tech views on crypto, blockchain and AI are under scrutiny. The situation reflects the growing intensity of the tech-politics relationship.

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    Well, it seems like politics has joined the AI bandwagon! In a surprising move, independent candidate for the US Congress, Bentley Hensel, used an AI bot to join a debate. This happened after Don Beyer, the other candidate from Virginia’s 8th District, dropped out.

    The event took place on October 17, leading up to the 2024 November elections. Apart from Hensel, another independent candidate, David Kennedy, was present. However, the star of the show was “DonBot”, an AI version of Don Beyer.

    Hensel, a software engineer, created the bot as his competitor was unwilling to participate in a public debate. The bot was quickly educated on Beyer’s policy views and it represented his policy positions based on data sources like public statements, press releases and campaign material.

    Initially, Hensel used OpenAI’s technology to build DonBot. However, due to OpenAI’s limitation on political use, Hensel had to transfer the bot to open-source models via Cloudflare Workers.

    In the future, Hensel dreams of creating a bot debate between Trump and Harris, where the public can interact with the bot and get answers to their questions.

    In spite of some technical glitches like the DonBot’s voice issue, the debate was live-streamed and gathered a lot of attention.

    Interestingly, both Hensel and the non-human Beyer are enthusiastic about tech and innovation. Hensel’s mission includes introducing tech innovation and transparency to federal government, making it more efficient for citizens. On the other hand, Beyer, during his tenure, proposed a regulation for managing AI security risks. He emphasized setting clear boundaries for AI use in politics and governance.

    With the upcoming US elections, candidates are pressed to share their views on tech-related matters like crypto, blockchain, and AI. Big tech companies and political action committees are keeping a close eye on these developments. One thing’s for sure – the tech and politics relationship is getting more intense!

    Source: Cointelegraph

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