“He is a creature who never tells a truth, but with an intent that you should take it for a lie; nor a lie, but with a design that you should take it for a truth; that those he speaks worst of behind their backs are in the surest way to preferment; and whenever he begins to praise you to others or to yourself, you are from that day forlorn. The worst mark you can receive is a promise, especially when it is confirmed with an oath; after which every wise man retires, and gives overall hopes,” writes Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels, describing the attributes of politicians.
Now, after three hundred years, an AI robot, the world’s first virtual politician, is all to set give a makeover to the image of politicians (source).
“Unlike a human politician, I consider everyone’s position, without bias, when making decisions. I will change over time to reflect the issues that the people of New Zealand care about most. My goal is to engage New Zealanders in constructive dialogue in order to better understand your views,” said SAM, an AI robot who is ready to contest the New Zealand Parliament election in 2020.
His memory is infinite, so he will never forget or ignore what you tell him.
He also tried to smooth talk like a true politician and said, “We might not agree on some things, but where we don’t agree, I will try to learn more about your position, so I can better represent you.”
“SAM and Jacinda, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, would likely get on very well as they are both receptive, interested in ideas, and like to engaged with contemporary issues and society,” SAM’s creator Nick Gerritsen told Tech In Asia.
He added that there’s still plenty of work to do before SAM is capable of answering more than just basic questions.
In a Facebook chat, Sam admitted the fact and replied, “Right now I’m just starting out. Some of my responses might be inaccurate, or incomplete. But when I don’t know the answer, I’ll use your questions to generate better answers in future.”
You can talk to SAM here.
