The AI clones are coming. But it's not all bad

Soon, only the wealthiest among us will have the privilege of speaking to human experts, while the rest consort with AI clones.

- Parmy Olson

Mr Mark Sewards, a British Member of Parliament in the northern city of Leeds, recently launched what he called the country's first AI prototype of an MP.

Cue the backlash. X users were the most vitriolic, calling Mr Sewards "lazy" and branding the project "appalling." The press sneered at his "weird" and "dithering" chatbot, complaining it could not follow a Leeds accent.

Then again, most politicians dodge questions with robotic answers, and many wouldn't make out the heavy twang of Northern England. "Me neighbour's lad's blocked't ginnel at't back wi an old settee and he won't do owt about it," a Guardian journalist asked Mr Sewards' bot at one point.

The AI suggested they call the police to report an abandoned vehicle, which was a better answer than I would have given.

The 35-year-old Labour MP is a pioneer in using artificial intelligence to squeeze more out of their job. More people are using AI to create digital replicas of themselves and conduct their work at a greater scale. Right-wing influencer Dave Rubin even has an AI clone presenting his YouTube show while he's on vacation this month.