This is a new face that has appeared on the British political scene, on the eve of the general elections in the United Kingdom. A seemingly banal situation, except for this: we will not be able to meet Steve – or rather “AI Steve” – ​​​​on the field, since this face is that of an avatar, generated by Artificial Intelligence.

Steve Endacott, on the other hand, does exist, as he is the man behind this initiative. A real-life businessman from the south of England who wants his avatar to represent the Brighton Pavilion constituency in the House of Commons.

“I am creating my own party, having become disillusioned by the lack of engagement other parties have with the British people,” Endacott said in a message posted on LinkedIn. “I will try to use technology to connect directly with the views of my constituents.”

On AI Steve's campaign site, users are asked if they would like to join a team of “makers” who will help him develop new policies.

To do this, potential voters must click on the “Talk to AI Steve” option and then fill out personal information before interacting with the bot.

Contributors can also become validators, whom Steve asks to “devote a few minutes a week” to “serve as a checkpoint to stop stupid policies,” assigning a rating from one to ten to each policy proposal.

“There's no need to know anything about AI, as all you have to do is press a button and the character will speak,” Endacott said in a statement.

“We hope to attract a wider audience through the quality of our policies.”

Policies based on majority support

Steve AI claims that only policies with the support of more than 50% of voters will be adopted within its platform, we can read on its site.

“AI Steve was created to give the people of Brighton and Hove 24/7 access to opinions and policies,” reads its website.

If elected, Endacott will “physically” attend parliamentary sessions, where he will vote on policies based on direct feedback received on his artificial intelligence platform.

The businessman describes himself as a working-class man who “understands the value of money.” […] and greatly appreciates that the success of his business achievements has made him relatively wealthy.”

He is also “deeply concerned” about the environment.

Neural Voice, the artificial intelligence company run by Endacott, is behind Steve AI.

The British businessman ran under the Conservative banner in 2022 in the Rochdale constituency and won 487 votes.

Candidates standing in the UK's general election must be at least 18 years old and have British or Irish citizenship, according to the Electoral Commission's website.

Across the English Channel, general elections have on several occasions given rise to amusing sequences, particularly when Mr. Bucket Head He had stood for election in Britain four times since 1987, as an intergalactic troublemaker. The Earl binary faceAlso under the banner of satire, he had presented his candidacy for the last municipal elections disguised as a politician, literally “with a garbage can head.”