OpenAI Bans Developer for Creating AI Bot Impersonating US Presidential Candidate 

Bits Logics Team . 22nd Jan 2024

• OpenAI has taken decisive action by removing the account of a developer responsible for an AI bot impersonating a US presidential candidate.
• The ChatGPT-powered bot, hosted on the dean.bot site, violated OpenAI’s policies on political campaigning and impersonation.
• OpenAI’s policies forbid developers from engaging in political campaigning or lobbying and from impersonating individuals or organizations without proper consent. 

In a recent development, OpenAI has taken decisive action by removing the account of a developer responsible for an artificial intelligence (AI) bot impersonating US presidential candidate Dean Phillips. The ChatGPT-powered bot, hosted on the dean.bot site, violated OpenAI’s policies on political campaigning and impersonation.

Dean Phillips, a Democratic party candidate challenging Joe Biden for the presidential candidacy, fell victim to the impersonation attempt. The bot was endorsed by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Matt Krisiloff and Jed Somers, founders of the Super Pac “We Deserve Better,” which supports Phillips.

OpenAI, headquartered in San Francisco, stated that it removed the developer account for knowingly violating its API usage policies, which explicitly prohibit political campaigning and impersonation without consent. The AI firm Delphi, responsible for creating the Phillips bot, has not yet commented on the situation.

OpenAI’s usage policies expressly forbid developers from engaging in political campaigning or lobbying and from impersonating individuals or organizations without proper consent. It remains unclear whether Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, had given his consent for the creation of the bot.

A pop-up notice on the dean.bot website describes the AI voice bot as a “fun educational tool,” acknowledging that it may not be perfect and could potentially convey incorrect information. The Washington Post initially reported the ban, revealing that Matt Krisiloff had urged Delphi to replace ChatGPT with freely available open-source technology.

“We Deserve Better,” the Super Pac supporting Phillips, has garnered substantial funding, including a $1 million investment from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Ackman described it as the largest investment he has ever made in someone running for office.

Dean Phillips, 55, announced his presidential bid in October, emphasizing the need for a younger generation to take on leadership roles. While campaigning in New Hampshire, Phillips criticized Joe Biden as “unelectable and weak.”

The incident raises concerns about the potential misuse of AI, particularly with deepfakes and AI-generated disinformation, as elections are scheduled in various parts of the world, including the US, EU, UK, and India. A report in the Observer highlighted that 70% of British MPs fear AI could amplify the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

This news, initially reported by The Guardian, underscores the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding AI technologies in the realm of politics.