The GOP candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor is defending his debate against an artificial intelligence version of his Democratic opponent, calling it the “best-possible alternative” to the real thing.
Conservative radio host John Reid (R) on Tuesday shared a video of his not-so-authentic debate with Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) where a seemingly AI-generated image of a moderator asks questions to Reid and the AI version of the Democrat, who appears on a display atop a lectern across from him in real life.
The bot takes from Hashmi’s “publicized policy positions, as mined from a variety of available sources, with AI used to replicate” her voice after the Democrat “refused” to debate him, the video notes.
The 40-minute, staged face-off sees Reid and the bot covering topics such as immigration, transgender rights, abortion, the economy and gun violence.
Reid, in a statement shared prior to releasing his bot debate, claimed there were “no rehearsals, no second takes and no advance prep beyond” his “own notes.”
“Virginians deserve to see a side-by-side contrast, and since my opponent won’t show up, I had to force the issue myself,” he said.