avatarJohn Egelkrout

Summary

The article speculates on the possibility of AI-generated candidates in future U.S. presidential elections, using Donald Trump's 2016 campaign as a springboard for the discussion.

Abstract

The article presents a satirical look at the potential future of AI in U.S. politics, suggesting that the artificiality of Donald Trump's presidential candidacy prefigures a time when AI-generated candidates could be a reality. It highlights the disproportionate influence of early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire, which are demographically unrepresentative of the nation, and questions the media's role in shaping public perception of candidates. The author draws parallels between the fictional Stepford Wives, who were replaced by robots designed to meet their husbands' idealized standards, and the concept of AI-powered sex dolls that could fulfill men's desires without the complexities of human relationships. The article posits that Trump's persona as a candidate—tough, brilliant, financially astute, athletic, religious, and promise-keeping—is a fabrication that aligns with the desires of his supporters, much like an AI could be programmed to embody idealized traits. The author concludes by envisioning a future where political parties might forgo human candidates in favor of AI entities programmed with party platforms, eliminating the need for traditional campaigning and potentially leading to more rational governance.

Opinions

  • The author is skeptical of the media's influence on election outcomes, suggesting it can create self-fulfilling prophecies.
  • There is a critique of the electoral process, particularly the outsize importance given to early primary states that do not reflect the country's diversity.
  • The article implies that Trump's appeal is based on a manufactured image that aligns with the fantasies of his voter base, rather than his actual personal history or accomplishments.
  • The author expresses concern about the potential for AI to replace human relationships and now potentially human candidates, suggesting a loss of authenticity in public life.
  • The satirical tone suggests the author views the current state of politics, and the prospect of AI candidates, with a mix of humor and alarm.
  • The article questions the necessity of human candidates and traditional campaigning methods, proposing that AI could lead to more data-driven and less personally motivated governance.

Will Trump Be Our First AI-Generated President?

A look around the bend at what’s to come

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

From watching the news, there is little doubt in my mind that the United States is going around the bend. It’s been like that for some time, but there is something about election years that magnify and showcase it. Before we make that voyage, however, it might be a worthwhile endeavor to take a peak before we plunge.

Another election year is at hand, and I, like so many others, can’t believe it. Is it time for another freak show already? So soon? Are the candidates climbing back into the clown car for another parade down Main Street? It seems like we just did this not long ago, even though it was four years ago. Nonstop campaigning like the kind we have been enduring makes it seem so.

This past week Iowa held their caucuses to determine which candidate for the Republican nomination would get their delegates. No one was surprised that Donald Trump came out on top. The media has been telegraphing that for some time, making me wonder if the underlying purpose of the media saying Trump would win was to create a self-fulfilling prophecy that he would.

Now that Trump has won in Iowa, the media all but assures us that he will be the nominee for the GOP. Every time I see a headline along these lines, I roll my eyes and shake my head. I have a hunch I’m not alone in this.

There are approximately 3.1 million people in Iowa, 87.9% of which are white. Incidentally, there are also approximately 3.8 million cows, but I’m not sure what color the cows are. They are probably black and white, though I suppose there are some brown ones too. I don’t think any of the cows attended the caucuses though. If they did, they’re not talking.

How now, brown cow? I just had to write that.

Photo by Kristyn Lapp on Unsplash

It’s time to do a little math. Bear with me here. Of the 3.1 million people in Iowa, only 110,298 Republicans showed up for the caucuses due to the winter weather. Of those 110,298 people, 51% favored Trump. That means in the entire state of Iowa, only 56,251 people showed up to the caucuses and supported Trump.

That’s it. Only 56,251 people supported Trump. And already the media has essentially performed the coronation naming him the GOP nominee. Headline after headline makes it sound as though it is a foregone conclusion that Trump will be the nominee.

In the coming weeks, New Hampshire will also weigh in, only with primary election instead of caucuses. New Hampshire has a population of only 1.4 million, or less than half of what even Iowa has. 88.8% of the people in New Hampshire are white.

There are only about 12,500 cows in New Hampshire, in case you were wondering. That, however, is statistically insignificant.

What is significant is that these two small, mostly white states carry a lot of clout when it comes to determining who each party’s nominee will be. Winning or losing in these two tiny white states derails some campaigns and catapults others. This is just plain bizarre.

Already the planes to Mar-a-whatever are queuing up so that party officials, donors, and others can kiss his, um, ring.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Trump: The Stepford candidate

In 1972 author Ira Levin published a novel titled “The Stepford Wives,” which was made into a film in 1975. It takes place in a small town named Stepford, Connecticut, where a new couple moves into what appears to be a normal, tranquil town.

As the plot unfolds, it becomes obvious there is something incredibly wrong (or right, depending on your perspective) with the women in Stepford. They are not interested in careers or independence. Their greatest joys are taking care of their kids, shopping, and making sure their husbands’ needs are met.

In the end, it becomes obvious that the Stepford wives are actually robots made to look like the original wives, and the woman who discovered this is also killed and replaced by a lookalike robot. No longer would the husbands have to put up with independent women who have opinions and desires of their own. They simply do what their husbands require of them and nothing else.

Fast forward to modern times and we have Ai-virtual girlfriends that can take the place of real girlfriends. They are advertised as “fun and flirty,” and are able to carry on conversations to a limited degree and can be a cure for loneliness, sort of.

Former Google executive Mo Gawdat said last summer that he foresees that in the future AI-powered sex dolls will replace human relationships and that it will be hard to distinguish between what is AI-generated and what is human.

And it only gets weirder.

In the March 15, 2022, Journal of Future Robot Life, two-thirds of the men surveyed were in favor of using an AI-powered sex doll for personal use. And if sex is all these men want, what would be the purpose of having a human relationship with a woman? There wouldn’t be one. These AI-powered sex dolls would be able to tell the men all the lies they want to hear, and the men would not have to wonder if their partner faked an orgasm.

That brings to mind that old adage. “Women fake orgasms. Men fake whole relationships.”

Photo by Dave Lowe on Unsplash

Candidate Donald Trump: the AI prototype

The husbands of Stepford, Connecticut designed their robot wives based on their desires for what the perfect wife should be like. When AI technology is coupled (excuse the pun) with the sex doll industry, people will have the option of having a designer partner, just like the Stepford men did.

But why stop there?

In many ways, Donald Trump is already the first AI-generated presidential candidate. Everything about him is already fake. Donald Trump the candidate is an amalgamation of all the attributes his supporters want, and yet none of them are real. Donald Trump the candidate is a fictionalized creation and nothing more. Donald Trump the candidate doesn’t actually exist except in the minds of his supporters.

If you think I’m kidding, consider the following.

Donald Trump the candidate is a tough guy, but the real Donald Trump used bone spurs as a way to avoid military service and the Vietnam War.

Donald Trump the candidate is a stable genius, but the real Donald Trump threatened to sue if his college transcripts were released. His vocabulary sounds like a struggling seventh grader. Covfefe, anyone?

Donald Trump the candidate is financially savvy, but the real Donald Trump has filed five bankruptcies for businesses that went under.

Donald Trump the candidate is a strong man, but in his youth, the only athletic trophy the real Donald Trump won was for bowling.

Donald Trump the candidate is a God-fearing Christian, but the real Donald Trump has never had a hometown church and doesn’t attend any church regularly.

Donald Trump the candidate keeps his promises, but the real Donald Trump said he would build the wall and make Mexico pay for it. They didn’t.

Even his hair is fake. Donald Trump the candidate has a full head of hair, but the real Donald Trump has a god-awful combover.

Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

AI and the future of presidential elections

In the years to come, is it possible neither party will put forth a human candidate, but will instead utilize an AI presidential doll programmed with its party platform? If the integration of AI technology with humanlike bodies continues, that could be a real possibility.

Each party could design their own presidential doll programmed the way they decide, and the voters could decide which doll they like better. There would be no need for campaigning, no need for debates, and no need for nonstop political commercials.

Since the winner would not be a real human being, there would be no need for a salary, a White House, or even Secret Service protection. Presidential decisions could be made by feeding the doll all the necessary data needed to make a decision and, voila, the most rational, data-driven decision would be made.

Would it be any worse than what we have now?

Artificial Intelligence
Politics
Elections
Voting
Trump
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