Newcastle, UK – In the upcoming British general election, voters may have been surprised to see a unique candidate on the ballot – an AI-powered politician. This unconventional idea was proposed by Newcastle technology company Uptivity, who wanted to offer voters a new perspective on politics.
Unfortunately, the Electoral Commission denied Uptivity’s application to field an AI candidate. R&D manager Ash Nehmet explains, “I listen to political interviews on the radio, and I just zone out. I don’t hear anything inspiring, just meaningless sentences when I want honest solutions. Being a technology company, I wondered how artificial intelligence (AI) might help.”
The proposed AI candidate, named Justin Sell, would have been available to constituents 24/7 and would have been completely selfless, not claiming any expenses. Uptivity believed their AI politician, equipped with the latest technology, would be able to represent the views of the average person in parliament.
When asked about the name Justin Sell, Nehmet explains, “Justin Sell is just a play on JustSell, our B2B ecommerce platform. And the name could become Justine when it became a woman.” As for the appearance of the AI politician, Nehmet says, “Initially, he would be a head, seen and heard on an iPad. Later, we would use his MP salary to create a humanoid.”
Uptivity also had plans to develop their AI politician with Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI), allowing him to express emotions such as sadness, hurt, happiness, and anger. Nehmet envisions Justin Sell v2 to be “less Mr. Spock and more Captain Kirk” from the popular TV series Star Trek.
Despite the denial from the Electoral Commission, Uptivity remains focused on their vision of Applied AI (AAI), which is the integration of AI into everyday applications paired with sensors and hardware. Uptivity’s current projects include their MaintanPad application and JustSell, with potential for future developments.
While the idea of an AI politician may still be a distant reality, Uptivity’s innovative thinking and dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology are sure to make an impact in the future. For more information on Uptivity and their projects, please contact Ash Nehmet at a.nehmet@uptivity.co.uk or visit their offices at G15, Biz Space, Amber Court, Newcastle Business Park, William Armstrong Road, Ne4 7YA, UK or call +44 0191 432 5532.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.