California state senator Scott Wiener has withdrawn an AI chatbot used to criticize his opponent, District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan, just five days after its launch. The campaign announced Friday that it would be taking down the website and associated billboards.
Wiener's campaign stated the chatbot, ConnieChan.ai, was intended as a parody to highlight Chan's record on issues such as housing and public transit. However, the tool was quickly branded "sexist and racist" by several prominent Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who called it "a gross misuse of technology."
Chan, who was born in Hong Kong, asserted that the chatbot displayed racist and sexist undertones, alleging it avoided direct answers regarding her accent, citizenship, and origin. Wiener's team disputed these claims, attributing indirect responses to safeguarding features designed to prevent inappropriate answers.
In a statement, Wiener's team acknowledged that the tactic had shifted the focus away from substantive issues. "The conversation became about the tactic instead of the issues that actually matter to San Franciscans—housing and health care they can afford, transit that works, schools that serve every kid, and a downtown that comes back stronger," the statement read. Wiener expressed that while he often pushes boundaries, this particular approach "missed the mark."
A spokesperson for Chan criticized Wiener's campaign, stating, "San Franciscans deserve better than a campaign funded by Big AI weaponizing the technology to mock an immigrant woman of color, doubling down after justified outrage, then reversing course and shrugging it off as simply 'missing the mark.'" The spokesperson added that Chan's campaign would remain focused on issues important to working families, affordable housing, reliable transit, and responsible AI development.
Pelosi and other congressional members issued a joint statement, arguing that women have fought for their voices to be heard and should not have to contend with AI fabricating words for ridicule. They accused Wiener's campaign of a "disturbing willingness to erase women's agency and reinforce the sexist tropes that have long been used to undermine women in public life."
Wiener has since apologized for any offense caused by the chatbot, while also noting the support it received from some individuals. He stated that he would now concentrate on key issues and candidate records during the final stages of his campaign.