In an article published by The Independent, Mark Matlock, a political candidate from the right-wing Reform UK party, addressed speculations about him being an AI bot by confirming that he is indeed a real person. The doubts surrounding Matlock's authenticity arose due to a campaign image that featured extremely smooth and glossy skin, as well as his absence from certain events such as the election count. A thread on X questioned his existence, sparking concerns of a potential scandal. While the concept of an AI-generated political candidate is not entirely implausible, as evidenced by an executive at an AI company running for Parliament during this election (albeit unsuccessfully with only 179 votes), Matlock is a human candidate who happened to fall ill during the election period. Matlock revealed, "I got pneumonia three days before election night. I was actively taking measures to maintain my health, including exercise and vitamin intake, in order to attend, but my condition made it impossible. On election night, I couldn't even stand. " He also provided The Independent with the original photo that caused speculation, explaining that the background had been removed and the color of his tie altered. Admittedly, the photo does possess an artificial appearance, particularly noticeable in Matlock's hair and skin, which can be attributed to the association of such aesthetics with AI. This instance serves as a reminder to all elected officials: refraining from manipulating photos in ways that resemble an exaggerated representation of a youthful and non-threatening politician, akin to a heavily edited "Midjourney" result, is advisable. As we approach the 2024 elections in the United States and other countries, the influence of AI tools is already being felt.

However, it is important to note that we have yet to witness the replacement of human politicians by AI bots (although some individuals may argue in favor of this prospect). The creation of convincing deepfakes featuring politicians is now easier than ever, demonstrated by an incident involving the cloning of President Joe Biden's voice to dissuade people from voting. Additionally, the question of how to regulate political advertisements generated using AI tools remains unresolved. Google recently announced that it will automatically add disclosures to political ads labeled as AI-generated by the advertiser.