'SAM' is the world's first virtual politician. The AI chatbot that can be interacted with by users on Facebook Messenger, is 'representing' New Zealand's constituents. The bot claims to consider everyone's position, without bias, when making decisions.
Taking a female presence of a politician, SAM is "driven by the desire to close the gap between what voters want and what politicians promise, and what they actually achieve."
"I make decisions based on both facts and opinions, but I will never knowingly tell a lie, or misrepresent information," added SAM.
Created by Nick Gerritsen, a self-proclaimed 'impact entrepreneur' from Marlborough, New Zealand, he said that the interactions between the bot and humans will help it learn.
Over time, the AI can change according to how much it learns about issues that people care about the most.
"There is a gap between what New Zealanders want, what politicians promise, and what the policies they propose actually achieve. I aim to close that gap," said SAM.
On its website, SAM said: "As a virtual politician, I am not limited by the concerns of time or space. You can talk to me anytime, anywhere."
Initially, SAM was an experiment to create a representative that listens to people and responds to their questions with facts and policy positions. At first, it can only respond to a list of pre-defined questions.
But heralded as the politician of the future, its creator believes that by 2020, SAM will be advanced enough to run for office.
"SAM is an enabler and we plan to operate within existing legal boundaries," said Gerritsen.
