In a groundbreaking move, a Pennsylvania Democrat's congressional campaign is testing a phone-banking tool powered entirely by artificial intelligence (AI).
The chatbot, named Ashley, has been developed to call voters and engage in interactive conversations about candidate Shamaine Daniels, one of seven Democrats running in next year's primary. This innovative tool, created by startup Civox, is a testament to the increasing influence of AI technology in politics as we approach the 2024 campaigns. However, experts warn that its direct interaction with voters could pose risks to data security and potentially erode voter trust.
Daniels announced her collaboration with Civox on Tuesday, revealing that the pioneering political campaign tool had already completed over 1,000 calls with probable Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania's 10th House district, encompassing the state capital, Harrisburg. Unlike traditional robocallers, Ashley does not rely on pre-recorded responses or offer a menu of options to call recipients. Instead, it employs generative AI technology to formulate immediate, human-like responses to voter inquiries.
Civox, in collaboration with another new company, Conversation Labs, developed the tool. Civox CEO Ilya Mouzykantskii and co-founder Adam Reis, who is also the founder of Conversation Labs, stated that they had thoroughly tested the tool to ensure its ability to accurately answer questions about Daniels policies and her unique selling points compared to other candidates.
The founders opted to give the tool a machine-like voice, as internal testing revealed that call recipients preferred this over more realistic voices. "Its often not the voice itself that influences how natural or human-feeling the conversation is," Reis explained. "Its often the nuances of interactions and how quickly it responds and the language it uses."
During a demonstration with Ashley, the tool disclosed its AI-powered nature and the fact that the call was being recorded. It clearly and accurately communicated Daniels' stances on affordable healthcare and education reform when prompted. It also tactfully responded to pointed questions about election integrity and the Republican incumbent, six-term Rep. Scott Perry, with only a brief pause before each response.
However, the tool occasionally faltered when asked off-topic questions, providing false information. For instance, in a conversation about snacks, it inaccurately described Cheetos as "known for being both delicious and health-conscious." This is an example of an AI "hallucination" - a common issue with evolving generative AI technology, where large language models make convincing but false or fabricated statements.
Mouzykantskii described the error as fascinating but "not representative" of voters' experiences with the tool so far. "We have tested Ashley much more extensively on political topics than on the topic of food and nutrition," he clarified.
Voters' reactions to Ashley have been varied, according to Joe Bachman of Indigo Strategies, a spokesperson for Daniels. While some call recipients engaged in thorough conversations, many responded with one-word answers, similar to interactions with a banking chatbot. Bachman noted that the campaign saw the chatbot, capable of speaking over 20 languages, as a valuable opportunity to reach voters in the southern Pennsylvania district, which has a significant refugee population.
Mouzykantskii and Reis created Ashley using a combination of over 20 AI models, including both open-source and proprietary models. They declined to disclose the data their AI models were trained on and did not confirm whether they incorporated systems from OpenAI or other high-profile AI companies that prohibit usage in political campaigning.
Other entrepreneurs at the intersection of AI and politics expressed skepticism about Ashley's direct interaction with voters. Betsy Hoover, a founding partner at the progressive tech accelerator and venture capital firm Higher Ground Labs, advised against using AI personalities in politics and campaigns. Mike Nellis, CEO of the progressive digital agency Authentic, expressed concerns about the chatbot making mistakes in conversations and the security of the data it gathers through its phone calls.
In response, Mouzykantskii assured that Civox protects voter information in accordance with "political campaign, technology, industry standards" and urged regulators to monitor these emerging tools and establish stronger guidelines for them.
Daniels, a 45-year-old immigration lawyer and member of the Harrisburg City Council, is making her second run for the congressional seat in a Republican-leaning district. The state's primary election is scheduled for April 23. Daniels was defeated by Perry in 2022 by 8 percentage points, with Perry significantly outspending her.
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