Congress and Generative AI:

According to Steve LeBlanc over at HuffPost, in “Mass. Congressman Reads AI-Generated Speech On House Floor,” U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss delivered a two-paragraph speech on a bill proposing a U.S.-Israeli artificial intelligence center. His staff believes this is the first example of generative AI being used to write a congressional speech (although it’s possible Geoerge Santos did it first).

Key points:

• The system prompt was, in part: “write 100 words to deliver on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
• Auchincloss said he was motivated by a desire for debate on AI and the opportunities created by it, in contrast to how social media was foisted upon us without much discussion.
• An excerpt from the short speech: “We must collaborate with international partners like the Israeli government to ensure that the United States maintains a leadership role in AI research and development and responsibly explores the many possibilities evolving technologies provide.”
• Said Auchincloss, “There were probably about a dozen of my colleagues on the floor. I bet none of them knew it was written by a computer.”

Well, Congressman Auchincloss, they do now. Hope you don’t do jail time.