(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Should candidates have to disclose their use of AI? [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-22
Andrew Cuomo’s recent housing policy proposal has reignited a growing debate about the role of artificial intelligence in political campaigns. Cuomo, the former governor of New York and now a leading candidate in the city’s upcoming mayoral race, released a 29-page housing plan riddled with typos, odd phrasing, and even a misspelled headline that read “bbjectively.” But what really raised eyebrows was a footnote linking back to ChatGPT, suggesting that AI had a hand in the document’s creation. The backlash was swift, with critics accusing Cuomo of relying on a chatbot to do the policy work that voters expect from a serious candidate.
Cuomo’s campaign initially denied heavy AI involvement, instead blaming the errors on voice dictation and a lack of proofreading. Later, a longtime aide admitted to using ChatGPT for some of the research. The explanation caused more confusion than clarity, with some observers questioning whether the campaign was trying to downplay AI use or simply deflect criticism by blaming a staffer’s physical disability.
This incident is unprecedented not because AI was used — politicians across the spectrum have quietly employed tools like ChatGPT to draft speeches, emails, and position papers — but because it became so obvious. The quality of the content, the accidental footnote, and the campaign’s conflicting responses raised legitimate concerns about transparency and trust. Should voters know when a policy paper is partially generated by a language model?
To be clear, the source link in the policy that was referenced was to a legitimate source but had a chatgpt extension showing where the link was copied from. So, it looked as if someone used ChatGPT to do internet research. Anyone who has used AI, knows that the typos wouldn’t come from AI output unless specifically stated to do so. So, to me, it sounds like AI was used but the writing seems to have been by a human who neglected to proofread.
If candidates can deploy AI tools to write for them without disclosure, does it reflect on their authenticity? Should candidates have to disclose their use of AI?
Additional:
Cuomo mayoral campaign blames aide's lazy editing -- not ChatGPT -- for typo-ridden housing plan: 'Bbjectively'
Called Out for AI Slop, Andrew Cuomo Blames One-Armed Man
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/22/2318138/-Should-candidates-have-to-disclose-their-use-of-AI?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
