Travel entrepreneur Steve Endacott has created an artificial intelligence version of himself to stand as an MP in the general election.
He has created AI Steve, an online avatar, supported by Endacott, who will cast votes and speak in the House of Commons if elected.
The former Airtours chief executive, now semi-retired after selling Holiday Taxis and Rock Insurance, has formed SmarterUK as a new political party “seeking to reinvent politics by reconnecting politicians directly with the views of their constituents”.
AI Steve is one of eight candidates fighting for the Brighton Pavilion constituency in a bid to become “the world’s first AI-powered MP”.
Being put forward as a “24/7 available candidate”, AI Steve will be standing as an independent “due to delays in the party registration process at the Electoral Commission”.
And government rules require election candidates to be “citizens” who are at least 18 years old.
But Endacott, who maintains a house in Brighton while living in Rochdale, said: “SmarterUK wants to reconnect politicians with their constituents using modern technology to create ‘policies for the people, by the people’.
“We have created AI Steve to achieve this goal using the revolutionary new AI Voice platform, Neural Voice.”
AI Steve promises to be better connected to its constituents than traditional MPs, as they can access him online 24 hours a day, every day to discuss existing policies and give opinions on policies they would like him to adopt.
Endacott added: “People are amazed during their first conversation with AI Steve by how conversational and human-sounding he is. He responds to questions in 0.36 seconds, making him as fast as humans and much faster than most politicians.
“MPs’ offices spend so much time answering emails about bins and dog poo, and staff turnover means that insights about constituents’ worries and ideas are lost.
“AI Steve solves this by bringing the best of business technology into the heart of politics.”
Policies adopted by the candidate include introducing a four-day working week, increasing affordable housing, regenerating high streets, cutting university fees by 50% and turning urban car parks into overnight EV charging hubs.
Jeremy Smith, chief executive of AI platform Neural Voice, said: “How many times have we seen flustered MPs without the necessary facts at their fingertips?
“It’s still to be proven whether AI Steve is smarter than most MPs, but I can guarantee he has a better grasp of all the facts.
“SmarterUK also hopes AI Steve will be scandal-proof. He is not allowed to swear, cannot inappropriately touch aides, drink, or send the contact details of other MPs to strangers to avoid being catfished.”
But Endacott cautioned: “The technology is still in its infancy, and I’m sure some people will miss the ‘point’ and try to trip it up.
“I personally think it is brilliant and look forward to seeing as many voters engage with him as possible.”