Generative AI tools, such as Open AI’s ChatGPT, have become massively popular, even outside the world of tech.
Industries across the board are taking a closer look at how generative AI — the technology behind ChatGPT and rivals such as Google Bard, Amazon’s Codewhisperer, and Chinchilla — can upend traditional processes and create competitive advantage.
The innovative technology has also brought the debate surrounding artificial intelligence back to the forefront for world governments, as the realities of its capabilities are more in our face than ever.
But some politicians are actually using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to help them with everyday tasks such as speechwriting. Here are some of the first political figures around the world to leverage the technology.
Isaac Herzog, president of Israel
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, surprised attendees at a cybersecurity convention in Tel Aviv in early February when he revealed that part of his speech had been written by generative AI.
“I am truly proud to be the president of a country that is home to such a vibrant and innovative hi-tech industry,” began the AI-written section of Herzog’s speech, according to Sky News.
He then emphasized that AI will not replace humans, as “Hardware and software cannot replace human will.”
Jake Auchincloss, member of the US House of Representatives
Jake Auchincloss, a Democratic Representative from Massachusetts, became the first United States congressman to present a speech written by artificial intelligence in late January.
“They are not intelligence in the way humans conceive of it,” said the 35-year-old Auchincloss in a statement before his speech.
The representative said that these AI tools are essentially prediction engines, with trillions of parameters to help the technology predict the next word in a sentence, or pixel in an AI-generated image. “But they are prediction engines, they are not intelligence. They are tools,” he said.
According to reports, Auchincloss’ speech was generated two days after Israeli president Herzog had recorded his.
Mauricio Macri, former president of Argentina
The former President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, gave a speech at an event celebrating the 35th anniversary of Fundación Libertad, a libertarian non-profit organization, on March 27.
Macri reportedly leveraged ChatGPT to write a speech lauding the foundation and he began reading it without disclosing who wrote (or generated) the words.
“This is an organization that for years has worked to defend freedom and the democratic values of our country,” he read aloud.“Today I want to refer to the importance of these values in the world.”
The former president then paused, and looked up to clarify that he had used the generative AI tool to write his speech, adding “I’m not going to read it all, but it really is very good.”
Julian Hill, member of Australian parliament
Australian Labor MP Julian Hill gave a speech in Parliament in February that was partly written using ChatGPT.
The speech was intended as a warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Hill emphasized the negative impact that AI could have on Australian students, who could abuse AI tools such as ChatGPT to cheat on exams.
He used ChatGPT to summarize concepts such as the risks and benefits to Australia from AI, why local teachers are worried about its actual and potential use in Australian schools, and the risk it may represent for job losses.
Sharren Haskel, member of Israeli Knesset
Member of the National Party in Israel’s Knesset (national legislature), Sharren Haskel became the first MP to give a speech that was generated using AI.
Her speech, made in February, was generated using a prompt based on three pillars:
- The dangers of division in the country
- The reasons behind the country’s divisions
- And the ways to solve this division
Haskel (and the AI that helped her write) warned of the dangerous social divisions within Israel amid the popular protests that were erupting over the country’s proposed judicial reforms.
After ending her speech, the legislator said, “It’s interesting that artificial intelligence probably has more intelligence than many elected officials who are here in this house.”
