Longshot candidate credits AI for helping defeat Biden in American Samoa caucus: ‘Very tech-savvy’

us news

by alex oliveira

A virtually unknown Democratic candidate defeated President Biden in a virtual campaign with the American Samoa caucus.

Jason Palmer, 52, won just 51 votes to Biden’s 40 on a small Pacific island on Super Tuesday, but he credits artificial intelligence with giving him a narrow victory. he believes.

“I think one of the reasons I won was because I was technologically adept,” Palmer told the Wall Street Journal.

The Maryland native did not travel the 7,000 miles from his home state to the island territory during the campaign, instead answering voters’ questions about his policies and experience via text messages and emails. Using an interactive artificial intelligence program.

He also introduced PalmerAI, an AI-powered avatar on his campaign website that looks like the candidate, talks like the candidate, blinks like the candidate and answers voter questions like the candidate. We adopted it.

Palmer also held remote town hall events, appearing via video call and speaking to voters by phone.

“I think people feel like I was there because I did these virtual meetings and used AI to interact with the participants,” Palmer said.

He also made sure to be open about the AI ​​program when interacting with voters. All of his AI communications begin and end with a disclaimer.

The magazine said the avatar cost about $25,000 to create. Along with his other AI efforts, this program helped him turn his measly $5,000 spent on American Samoa into a primary victory over a sitting president.

“If we had millions of dollars to market to Colorado and Vermont, we might have been more competitive in those states,” Palmer told the Journal.

Mr. Palmer, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in the high-tech industry, has invested $500,000 of his own money into the campaign and has positioned himself as a candidate more responsive to 21st century realities than Joe Biden, 81. is positioned.

Mr Palmer won three delegates in his victory on the island of just 50,000 people. U.S. territories can vote in primaries, but do not elect representatives to the Electoral College.

To train the avatar on the website, Palmer visited a studio where he read a number of his speeches so the program could learn his language.

The program limits what the avatar can talk about, limiting it to Palmer’s politics, but politely apologizes if a question exceeds its capabilities.

While Palmer acknowledges that AI can be dangerous, he also believes it is an opportunity that could be revolutionary if approached safely (at least his version of AI is).

“AI can be a powerful tool if properly regulated,” PalmerAI told The Post. “It has the potential to enhance rather than eliminate the role of work.”

“However, it is important to establish regulatory ethical frameworks and safety protocols to ensure the responsible and beneficial use of AI technologies.”