(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Soon-to-be former Rep. Nancy Pelosi accused one of the two candidates seeking to replace her in Congress of launching a misogynistic attack against her preferred successor. But Pelosi’s accusations quickly backfired, with critics calling them “absurd.”
Specifically, Pelosi targeted California state Sen. Scott Wiener after he launched an AI chatbot mocking Pelosi’s endorsed candidate, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan. Both candidates are vying for the seat after advancing from an open primary earlier this year.
According to the New York Post, Wiener’s chatbot mocked Chan’s repeated opposition to housing proposals. The chatbot was billed as “the world’s first AI trained to say no to anything you ask.”
Critics, including Pelosi, accused Wiener of using AI in a sexist and misogynistic manner.
Wiener ultimately took the chatbot down, but the controversy continued to draw criticism from Chan’s backer.
Pelosi called the use of AI to impersonate Chan’s voice a “gross misuse of technology,” and claimed it “reflects a disturbing willingness to erase women’s agency,” according to the Post.
Wiener’s supporters, however, dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage.”
San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung said that it “feels like there’s a lot of fake outrage about this chatbot.”
“I suppose you know that’s part of the political game – to put as favorable a slant as you want to for your own purposes for each campaign,” she added.
Susie Tompkins Buell, whom the Post described as a “famed women advocate,” called Pelosi’s criticism “totally absurd.”
Buell described Weiner as “the most non-sexist, non-racist person. I don’t know who would even say that. But if it was (Pelosi), it was careless and not appropriate and not true.”
Buell also questioned Pelosi’s aggressive approach to try to get her backed candidate across the finish line.
“Nobody can give a good answer of why she’s doing this,” Buell said. “It’s just a mystery to so many people. Whatever it is, it is rooted in pettiness.”
