California State Senator Scott Wiener has launched a parody artificial intelligence chatbot to criticize his rival, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, in the race to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi. The chatbot, available at ConnieChan.ai, is presented as "the world's first AI trained to say no to anything you ask," an effort by Wiener's campaign to highlight Chan's record of opposing various development projects.
Wiener's campaign stated the chatbot was designed to leverage the city's interest in AI while underscoring what they describe as Chan's obstructionist tendencies. "No lies were told in the making of this AI chatbot. This is 100% Connie Chan’s record of blocking all progress in San Francisco, packaged in an easy to use tool for voters," said Joe Arellano, a spokesman for Wiener's campaign. He added that the campaign aims to "creatively reach voters with a product that stands out, highlights Connie’s long record of obstruction."
Chan's campaign, which has received an endorsement from the retiring Pelosi, has condemned the chatbot. Ian Krager, a spokesperson for Chan, called the tool "racist and offensive to women" and accused Wiener of allowing technology that traffics in offensive stereotypes. Krager, who is on leave from Pelosi's office to assist Chan's campaign, stated, "We know Wiener is desperate for attention, but it’s never a good idea for a man to put words in a woman’s mouth — especially when they are falsities fraught with racist and sexist undertones."
The use of the AI chatbot also brings renewed attention to Wiener's connections with the AI industry. Wiener has been involved in AI regulatory policy in the California Legislature. Earlier this year, a super PAC backed by AI company Anthropic committed $500,000 to support Wiener's campaign, according to reports. As of the end of June, Wiener's campaign reported over $1.2 million in cash, while Chan's campaign had just over $362,000.
Pelosi has represented San Francisco in the House of Representatives for approximately four decades.