A US politician seeks Ashley's assistance to connect with voters. She's not human

An AI-assisted initiative is unfolding in the midst of the poll-bound in America as Democrat Shamaine Daniels from Pennsylvania prepares for another bid for the Congressional seat presently held by Trump-aligned Republican Representative Scott Perry.

The development?

Ashley!

• Ashley is an artificial intelligence (AI) based new-age robocall campaign volunteer.
• It has been developed by Civox, a London-based company, reported by Reuters.

Robocallers in elections are automated systems delivering pre-recorded messages. They're used for political outreach through speeches, and messages to aid the voters.

• Unlike traditional robocallers, Ashley is not confined to scripted responses.
• Drawing inspiration from generative AI technology like OpenAI's ChatGPT, she boasts the capability to engage in countless personalised one-on-one conversations simultaneously, reported Reuters.
• Ashley, now, looks to be a strategic asset for Daniels, who lost to Republican Perry by a narrow margin in the previous election.
• Civox CEO, Ilya Mouzykantskii told Reuters, "This is going to scale fast. We intend to be making tens of thousands of calls a day... The future is now."

Is she good?

• Ashley's proficiency lies in her ability to analyse voter profiles swiftly, tailoring conversations to address individual concerns.
• Unlike human volunteers, Ashley maintains perfect recall of Daniels' positions and operates tirelessly, unaffected by the disheartening experience of being hung up on.
• "...She is now armed with another way to understand voters better, reach out in different languages and conduct many more 'high bandwidth' conversations," said the Civox CEO.

Is all well?

• While some hail this as an exciting tool for conducting high-quality conversations on a large scale, others express concerns about its potential contribution to disinformation in an already polarised political landscape.
• "This should provoke thoughts about just how close we are to some version of the future that has previously only been available in sci-fi movies and books," cautions Mouzykantskii.
• To address ethical concerns, Civox has implemented a governance structure, empowering a committee to force public disclosure of any concerning aspects related to the company, reported Reuters.
• Despite vague regulations on AI in politics and no legal obligations, Ashley is given a robotic-sounding voice, and it is openly disclosed that she is an AI.