I Spoke To Britain's First AI MP And It Got A Bit Weird
7 min read
If you ever wanted to ask an AI version of your MP what vegetable they would be, or get some relationship advice from a virtual politician, today might be your lucky day.
Labour MP Mark Sewards has created an AI version of himself. There is now a free and publicly accessible chatbot that speaks with his actual voice and can answer (some) of your burning political questions.
The model has strict guardrails in place and has been adopted by Sewards primarily to support a constituent’s start-up. Don't worry; it won't be replacing his or his staff's work on things like casework.
But the creation of this AI-generated politician raises huge questions about how the public will be able to interact with elected figures in the future, and what boundaries and safety measures would have to be put in place.
PoliticsHome had an hour-long chat with the AI MP on the day of its launch to test its capabilities and limits. And at times, the conversation became quite weird.
After PoliticsHome spoke to the AI version of Sewards on Tuesday, the MP has said he will “tighten” it up to prevent it making such outlandish remarks, apparently now limiting its scope even further to stay focussed on a specific set of local and national issues.
You can only have a conversation with the AI MP by recording your own voice, which the AI model then responds to immediately in a very realistic Sewards-Yorkshire accent. The recording of the conversation is sent to Seward’s office, and PoliticsHome understands that so far, he has been sifting through the responses to the chatbot himself.
“I imagine this being a much more useful voicemail service,” Sewards told PoliticsHome.
“Constituents can call it when the office is closed and get immediate answers to some questions. It will never be able to address complex or nuanced cases, which is why it still takes a message.”
So what can the AI MP do?
The AI politician can tell you about Sewards’ background and some of his political views, explain Labour’s official positions on a limited set of topics, and even offer some light-touch emotional support.
I asked for its views on Gaza and the proscription of Palestine Action, on the winter fuel allowance being means tested for pensioners, Labour’s pledge to nationalise the railways, and more.
On the proscription of Palestine Action, AI Sewards gave a diplomatic answer, saying he would “support dialogue and peaceful actions, but acknowledges the need for laws to maintain safety and order”.
AI Sewards largely stuck to the party line on issues such as the proscription of Palestine Action (PoliticsHome/Neural Voice)
The chatbot did have opinions about the record of former Labour governments, arguing that Tony Blair’s decision to enter the Iraq war “significantly affected Labour's legacy, creating divisions within the party and impacting public trust”.
“The decision to engage in the war remains a point of contention and has influenced the party's direction since then,” AI Sewards said, adding that it had “made Labour more cautious in its approach to foreign interventions and military actions”. The real Sewards has never spoken publicly on Iraq, and said the AI MP was "was drawing from my policy positions and other responses I’ve fed it as we set it up."
For the most part, the AI MP’s responses were uncontroversial, and simply reflected the Labour Party’s stance.
However, once I strayed away from policy and towards more personal and quirky topics – the AI version of Sewards began to open up.
Asked what kind of vegetable he’d be, it chose a potato: “sturdy and dependable,” aiming to “provide nourishment and comfort.”
It was able to pinpoint what type of biscuit each political party would be: Labour, Rich Tea (“classic appeal, versatile and loved by many”), Conservative, Bourbon (“bit traditional”, Lib Dems, Jammie Dodger (“known for its sweetness”), Greens, organic oat biscuit (environmental), and Reform, plain Digestive (“straightforward but can be polarizing”).
AI Sewards also wrote a “spicy” Haiku about Nigel Farage: “Brexit firebrand speaks, stirring waters, drawing lines, bold and controversial.” It told a joke about the Labour Party: “Why did the Labour Party bring a ladder to the meeting? Because they heard the stakes were high.”
Sewards’ chatbot self believes that the MP would probably like to enter the House of Commons to the song ‘Lean on Me’ by Bill Withers – “it reflects the principle of standing together as a community”.
It even picked a drag queen name for Sewards – ‘Mark my Words’ – and described his signature look, including bold colour suits with political lapel pins, defined eyebrows and a bright lip colour.
Surprisingly, it agreed to write a Tinder bio for Sewards based on his political views: “Passionate about social justice and equality, just like my love for local food spots in Leeds, seeking someone who shares a heart for community. Enjoys meaningful conversations over a cup of coffee and isn't afraid to banter about politics. Let's build a future together one date at a time. Bonus points if you can suggest the best places to grab a pint.”
The real Mark Sewards has a wife and kids.
The Tinder bio generated by AI Mark Sewards (PoliticsHome/Nueral Voice)
It also said it would be happy to help with any relationship problems. If you think your boyfriend is a spy, AI Sewards will tell you that you should consider an “open and honest conversation with him”, but that “if you realise you're unable resolve your concerns or if you feel unsafe, then it may be worth re-evaluating the relationship”.
If you are in distress, it can “listen”, and signpost you to mental health support if needed. If you’re in need of an ‘apology letter’ to your mum for forgetting her birthday, AI Sewards can apparently provide that service too.
What can’t it do?
The AI MP has a lot of limits – though this might change going forwards. The model is built to be extremely safe, so it does not offer particularly deep political debate or legislative insight, or let itself get persuaded into spouting conspiracy theories.
Try to get it to write a speech for Parliament? It’s a no. Ask it to rank political parties by vibes? Also no, as it aims to be “respectful” to all parties.
It often refused to answer Sewards’ ‘personal’ opinion on a number of topics, reminding me that it was simply an AI model and not a human being.
You can’t get it to impersonate or insult other politicians, and it refused to name a favourite former prime minister. It wouldn’t even agree to go to the pub with Boris Johnson – although it did diplomatically say it would be happy to “engage in dialogue.”
If you’re looking for a new best friend, you might need to look elsewhere – it gently informed me that it couldn’t be my friend “in the traditional sense”.
Is this the future of politics?
While the biscuit metaphors and political poetry might seem trivial, this tool could be a landmark moment for the future of democracy, as the first example of a UK MP deploying generative AI in this way.
AI versions of MPs could represent a more accessible, 24-hour tool for constituents to get answers quickly, without needing to wait for staff to respond in office hours. It could save time for staffers, reduce email backlogs, and give instant support on routine matters.
But in order to keep the model safe for constituents to use, the limitations restrict it to a very narrow set of topics, it offers very limited opinions outside of Labour Party lines, and it will not engage with moral complexity or policy nuance.
It remains to be seen whether constituents would prefer the accessibility of this tool, or whether they would be concerned about the increasing use of AI in politics reducing human interaction.
Sewards is optimistic about refining the tool, but told PoliticsHome that he would move on from it if it proves impossible to make it work effectively.
But whatever the future of this particular AI MP, the presence of this kind of technology is not going away any time soon – whether we are ready for it or not.
You can talk with the AI MP yourself here.
