The chatbot that swept the UK election turned out to be a real person

Mark Matlock, a candidate for the British elections from the right-wing party Reform UK, clarified that he is a real person, not an artificial intelligence bot as some suspected. Perhaps the fault was in the too smooth skin in the campaign images or the fact that Matlock missed such an important event as the vote count - but earlier this week on X Twitter thread, doubts arose about Matlock's existence. "We might be on the verge of a HUGE SCANDAL," the note said. "We might be on the verge of a HUGE SCANDAL. Suspicions have been raised that Reform have fielded election candidates that aren't real people. Is there any evidence that Mark Matlock (candidate for Clapham & Brixton Hill) actually exists? He looks AI generated." Such a possibility could not be immediately ruled out. During these elections, the head of an artificial intelligence company used an AI persona to run for the British Parliament. He lost miserably, getting only 179 votes. Matlock, however, is a human candidate who, as it turned out, was very ill during the elections. "I caught pneumonia three days before the election night, I was exercising, taking vitamins so that I could be present, but it was just impossible. On the night of the election, I couldn't even stand," he told The Independent. Matlock provided the publication with the original photo, the use of which attracted attention. He says that the background was removed, and the color of his tie was changed. In the photo, there really is that same rubbery, amazing look that began to be associated with artificial intelligence. As noted by The Guardian, some Reform UK candidates almost didn't talk about themselves online, which likely fueled speculation about Matlock. So, if anyone is planning to run for election in the near future, they should meet with voters more actively, participate in the necessary procedures, and not get too carried away with photo editing. Source: The Independent