Fringe Japanese party advocates for a penguin chatbot to serve as its party leader, dreaming of an artificial intelligence-led future
Japanese Political Party Plans to Install AI Chatbot as Leader
In an unprecedented move, a Japanese political party named Path to Rebirth has announced plans to install an AI chatbot penguin as its leader. The party's founder, Shinji Ishimaru, stepped down after the party failed to secure any seats in recent elections, and the new leader, Koki Okumura, won the leadership race but plans to have an AI take over the role.
Okumura, a doctoral student specializing in AI research, envisions the AI taking over all decision-making processes related to party operations. The AI will take the form of an avatar penguin, a symbol of Japanese love for animals, but will not be eligible for elections due to electoral law requirements. A human will serve as the formal representative of the party, with the AI acting as its assistant.
The AI's ascension to the role does not have a set timeline, but a preparatory committee is being established. Okumura views his experiment as trailblazing, as the world is heading towards increased interaction with AI, and it's important to conduct experiments at the cutting edge to determine how social and political systems should adapt.
However, the use of AI in political decision-making is seen as a potential ethical problem by experts. Professor Thomas Ferretti, senior lecturer in ethics and sustainable business at the University of Greenwich in the UK, states that while AI technologies can speed up data analyses and boost government efficiencies, they cannot make political decisions alone and can become an ethical problem.
Theodore Lechterman, UNESCO Chair in AI Ethics and Governance at IE University in Spain, emphasizes that the relationship between politicians and voters goes beyond mere delegation of power and involves human politicians acting autonomously, taking action on their own initiatives, and interacting with fellow human politicians and constituents.
Okumura's plan to make a political party dependent on AI is seen as potentially anti-democratic by nature, as all parties may end up being similar if not the same if AI makes all decisions. This sentiment is shared by Hiroshi Shiratori, a political science professor from Hosei University in Tokyo, who believes that the experiment of making a political party dependent on AI could be unprecedented in Japan and may not grow into a wider trend.
This news comes as the Japanese government has been encouraging the use of AI to address the nation's shrinking workforce. However, it's important to note that Okumura's plan is unprecedented in the country, and Japanese voters may not be ready for a party so dependent on AI.
The use of AI in politics is not a new concept. Last year, Victor Miller, a candidate for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, put his AI chatbot VIC on the ballot, and a man in the UK entered a parliamentary election as AI Steve, planning to delegate authority to a neural network. Officials in Wyoming issued a reminder that an "AI bot is not a qualified elector."
As the world continues to explore the possibilities of AI, it's crucial to consider the ethical implications and ensure that human accountability remains a priority in political decision-making.
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