ChatGPT-Drafted Legislation Unanimously Passed In Brazil, Shocked Council President Calls It A 'Dangerous Precedent'

Porto Alegre, a Brazilian city, has unknowingly set a precedent by enacting a law entirely written by OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot called ChatGPT, causing ripples in the global debate on artificial intelligence’s role in shaping public policy.

What Happened: Last week, it was revealed that an experimental ordinance was passed in October, which was written by an AI chatbot. City Councilman Ramiro Rosário used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to draft a proposal forbidding the city from billing taxpayers to replace stolen water meters, reported AP News.  

See Also: Happy Birthday, ChatGPT: A Year In Review Of AI’s Game-Changing Conversationalist

As per the report, Rosário presented the proposal to the council without notifying his colleagues about its unique origin. 

“If I had revealed it before, the proposal certainly wouldn’t even have been taken to a vote,” Rosário told the report, adding, “It would be unfair to the population to run the risk of the project not being approved simply because it was written by artificial intelligence.”

The ordinance was unanimously passed and took effect on Nov. 23. This development came to light when Rosário announced it on social media, shocking the council’s president, Hamilton Sossmeier, who described it as a “dangerous precedent.”

Why It Matters: AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT have been gaining popularity in workplaces across the U.S. despite restrictions imposed by tech giants such as Samsung Electronics Co, Apple Inc., and Alphabet Inc. to protect sensitive data. 

However, these tools are not without their issues. 

“Hallucination,” or the introduction of false information, is a known problem with AI chatbots, which hasn’t been resolved to date. 

The recent AI-drafted legislation in Brazil underscores the need to carefully examine the potential implications and risks associated with AI’s increasing presence in human tasks and decision-making processes.

Photo by Ascannio on Shutterstock

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This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.