AI Politicians Take the Stage: Rethinking Engagement at the Synthetic Summit

The intersection of Artificial Intelligence and politics is no longer theoretical – it's happening now, and it's pushing us to reconsider how citizens interact with governance and public discourse.

Back in March, we at DemAI had the fascinating opportunity to spend a day immersed in this evolving landscape at the Synthetic Summit. The event brought together the minds behind 10 distinct AI politician projects, each offering a unique glimpse into the future of civic technology.

We saw everything from AI Mayor in Japan and the LEX project running in Brazilian municipal elections, to initiatives like Parker Politics aiming to connect small Maui communities in New Zealand with national conversations. Adding a historical twist, the Swedish Radio Palme project allows citizens to engage in dialogue with a reanimated AI version of the late Prime Minister Olof Palme.

Despite their diverse approaches – spanning election campaigns, community engagement, and even historical revival – a powerful common thread emerged. Most of these projects are driven by a desire to make politics more inclusive and to challenge conventional thinking about public discourse in new and often unexpected ways.

The exhibition sparked considerable thought, but two projects stood out with particularly compelling takeaways:

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LEX: Hyper-Localized Political Dialogue in Brazil

One particularly compelling takeaway came from LEX, an AI politician project designed for São Paulo, Brazil. During the campaign, citizens could interact with LEX via WhatsApp. What truly set it apart was its sophisticated five-layer contextual memory system, enabling remarkably nuanced interactions. This system integrated the AI's foundational core principles and broad political and policy knowledge with highly specific localized information about São Paulo's neighborhoods. Furthermore, LEX maintained a memory of individual conversation histories alongside an aggregated understanding derived from summaries of all previous citizen interactions. This multi-layered approach equipped LEX to tailor conversations effectively, provide hyper-local relevance, and dynamically build an evolving understanding of community needs and concerns, presenting a fascinating model for adaptive political communication.

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‍Radio Palme: Reviving Dialogue with AI History

‍This Swedish project took a different, perhaps more provocative, path. It recreated the voice and opinions of the late Prime Minister Olof Palme using extensive historical records. Citizens could call a phone number or visit a webpage to have real-time discussions with this AI Palme. The technical execution was impressive – the voice synthesis and LLM interaction felt eerily smooth and immediate. Inspired by Palme's real-life habit of taking calls from citizens, Radio Palme offered a unique, albeit controversial, method of reviving his political dialogue for a modern audience.

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Looking Ahead: AI for Good in Public Discourse?

These examples highlight the experimental edge of AI in the political sphere. They force us to ask important questions. Beyond the novelty and the potential controversies, how can AI be genuinely leveraged for good?

How do you envision AI being used constructively to strengthen citizen engagement and foster greater inclusion in our public discourse?

‍Feel free to reach out to us at DemAI if you'd like to discuss these ideas more.

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A big thank you to Computer Lars (Asker Bryld Staunæs) for the collaboration and for inviting us to the Synthetic Summit!

The exhibition contionues online at Syntheticism.org.