Voters in Wyoming’s capital city will decide Tuesday whether to elect a mayoral candidate who has proposed putting an artificial intelligence bot in charge of local government.

Earlier this year, the candidate in question – Victor Miller – filed to run for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, with his custom ChatGPT bot, called Vic (Virtual Integrated Citizen). He has pledged to run the city’s affairs with the AI ​​bot if he wins.

Miller said the bot can process massive amounts of data and make unbiased decisions.

In what AI experts are calling a first for U.S. political campaigns, Miller and Vic told local news organizations in interviews that their proposed form of governance is a “hybrid approach.”

The AI ​​bot told Your Wyoming Link that its role would be to provide data-driven insights and innovative solutions for Cheyenne. Meanwhile, Vic said, the popular candidate for office, Miller, would serve as the official mayor if elected by voters and would ensure that “all actions are carried out legally and practically.”

“It’s about combining the capabilities of AI with human judgment to effectively lead Cheyenne,” the bot said. The bot said it has no political affiliations — and that its goal is to “focus on data-driven, practical solutions that benefit the community.”

During a meet-and-greet this summer, the Washington Post reported that the AI ​​bot was asked how it would make decisions “based on human factors, involving people and having to make a decision that affects so many people.”

“Making decisions that impact a lot of people requires a careful balance of data-driven insights and human empathy,” the AI ​​bot responded, according to an audio recording obtained and published by the Washington Post. Vic then walked through a multi-part plan that proposed using AI technology to collect data on public opinion and community feedback, hold town hall meetings to listen to residents’ concerns, consult with experts in relevant fields, evaluate the human impact of the decision, and provide transparency about the decision-making.

According to Wyoming Public Media, Miller has also pledged to donate half of the mayor’s salary to a nonprofit if elected. The other half could be used to continually improve the AI ​​bot, he said.

Miller has faced skepticism and opposition since announcing his candidacy for mayor, as well as criticism for his unusual approach to Cheyenne leadership.

Earlier this summer, Wyoming’s top elections official, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, launched an investigation into whether the bot could appear on the ballot. Gray has said that only registered voters can run for local or statewide elections under Wyoming law.

Gray wrote in a June 10 letter to the Cheyenne city clerk that he believed the AI ​​bot’s application for nomination should be denied. He said a person must be a real person to be considered a voter.

“Wyoming law clearly states that an AI bot cannot run for office,” Gray wrote.

City officials in Cheyenne disagreed with Gray, saying that even if Miller gets advice or direction from the bot, he is still the candidate for election rather than the AI ​​bot, the Washington Post reported.

Shortly after, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, reportedly shut down Miller’s account. The company said it believed the state of Wyoming had removed Miller from the ballot and also cited policies against using its products for campaigning, the Washington Post reported.

But Miller is said to have quickly created another account and built a new bot.

On July 5, the clerk of Laramie County, which includes Cheyenne, announced that Miller would be allowed to continue his mayoral campaign, but only his name, not Vic’s, would appear on the official ballot.

“Allowing VIC to be listed as a candidate would both violate Wyoming law and create confusion among voters,” wrote Clerk Debra Lee. “VIC is not a registered voter. Therefore, VIC cannot run for office in Wyoming and its name does not appear on the official Laramie County ballot.”

Earlier this year, there was a similar attempt in England to run an AI bot as a political candidate. That bot, named Steve, ran for the British parliament in Brighton, but did not become the UK’s first AI MP.

Miller has been clear that Vic would “do all the decision-making himself” 100% of the time if voters supported him in Tuesday’s primary.

“AI is on the ballot for mayor of Cheyenne,” Miller said in a post on X. “That’s a hard fact.

He added: “Cheyenne, go out there and make your choice. But realize this time there is a new option. There is a new intelligence in town.”

He added: “It’s time to embrace the future. It’s time to get drunk on intelligence.”

Miller’s mayoral campaign isn’t the only recent high-profile news story to come out of Wyoming involving AI. A reporter for a Wyoming newspaper resigned after an investigation found he used quotes fabricated by AI technology, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Wyoming Public Radio reported that the journalist’s firing appears to be the first known media scandal involving media fabrications involving AI.