Surprise Legislation: ChatGPT’s Silent Influence
In an unexpected turn, lawmakers in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre unknowingly approved a piece of legislation crafted by ChatGPT, as reported by the Associated Press.
This legislation, formulated in October, was revealed this week by city council member Ramiro Rosário to have been written using the chatbot. According to AP, Rosário tasked ChatGPT to draft a proposal preventing taxpayers from bearing the cost of replacing water consumption meters. He presented the proposal to his 35 fellow city council members without divulging its AI origin.
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“It would be unfair to the population if the project risked non-approval purely because it was devised by artificial intelligence,” Rosário told AP. He believed that disclosing ChatGPT’s involvement would hinder the legislation from being considered for voting.
Remarkably, this isn’t the chatbot’s first venture into legislative text. In the United States, Massachusetts State Sen. Barry Finegold ironically sought ChatGPT’s assistance in formulating a bill aimed at mandating companies using AI chatbots to implement risk assessments and security measures, providing transparency on their algorithms to the government.
The use of ChatGPT to craft legislation prompts questions about the chatbot’s role in governance and emphasizes the urgent need for government regulations concerning its usage.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Elena is a tech reporter and the resident Gen Z expert at Mashable. She covers TikTok and digital trends. She recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American History. Email her at[email protected]or follow her@ecaviar_.
