OpenAI Takes Action: Bans Developer for AI Political Impersonation in Dean Phillips Campaign
OpenAI, with the backing of Microsoft, has taken decisive action by banning the developer behind a bot impersonating Democratic presidential hopeful Congressman Dean Phillips. This marks the first instance of the ChatGPT creator responding to what it perceives as the misuse of its artificial intelligence (AI) tools in a political campaign, as reported by The Washington Post on Saturday.
A spokesperson for OpenAI issued a statement to Reuters, stating, "We recently removed a developer account that was knowingly violating our API usage policies which disallow political campaigning or impersonating an individual without consent."
The bot in question, named Dean.Bot, was powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT and created by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Matt Krisiloff and Jed Somers. The developers initiated a super PAC named "We Deserve Better," throwing their support behind Congressman Dean Phillips ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
The super PAC attracted attention by receiving a substantial $1 million investment from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Ackman expressed the significance of his investment, calling it "by far the largest investment I have ever made in someone running for office" in a post on the social media platform X.
To build the bot, We Deserve Better contracted with AI startup Delphi. OpenAI took action late on Friday by suspending Delphi's account, emphasizing that the use of its technology in political campaigns is strictly prohibited. Following the account suspension, Delphi promptly took down Dean.Bot.
Dean.Bot, equipped with a disclaimer stating that it was an AI tool, engaged in real-time conversations with voters through a website. This represents an early use of emerging technology that researchers have identified as having the potential to cause significant harm to elections, as reported by The Washington Post.
Neither We Deserve Better nor Delphi has immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the ban. The incident underscores the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in political campaigns, as organizations grapple with defining and enforcing responsible practices in this evolving landscape. OpenAI's response sets a precedent for how AI developers and users must adhere to ethical standards to prevent the misuse of powerful technologies in the political sphere.
