aAnyone with even a hint of local dialect can attest to the challenge of dealing with parking fines, as voice recognition systems often struggle with various accents. Currently, individuals in Mark Seward’s Leeds constituency may encounter similar issues as his AI counterpart.

A chatbot, touted as the first AI representation of an MP, will respond in Seward’s voice, providing advice, support, or forwarding messages to his team, but only if it accurately comprehends your input.

The website, which serves as a virtual representation of the Leeds Southwest and Morley MP, features animated Pixar-style cartoons, and was launched by a local startup to address queries from constituents.

I wanted to test how “Sewardsbot” engages in discussions with someone just outside my constituency borders.

Adopting my “home” voice—one I had before attending university, combined with years spent in London and countless chats with colleagues from East Sussex—I initiated the conversation.

“Hello. I’m a Labour MP from Leeds Southwest and Morley. How can I assist you today?” the character replies in Seward’s voice.

“Now,” I respond. My text appears on the screen, but the bot seems unable to interpret it as a greeting. Here, “now” is commonly understood as “hello” in much of Yorkshire. It continues the dialogue, asking for my name and contact information.

The AI version of Seward faces criticism for recording all interactions and allowing his team to determine which topics are deemed significant based on constituents’ input.

Speaking of pressing issues, I move directly to what many are concerned about: the harrowing reports and footage emerging from Palestine. “Will you be addressing the situation in Gaza?”

Sewardsbot manages this query well, recognizing that I’m referencing Gaza in a broader context but does not elaborate on the government’s stance.

The message displayed on the website states, “AI Mark is a prototype digital assistant. This is a work in progress and should not be construed as fact. All responses are generated by AI.”

I experiment with a few more phrases to see if casual language trips it up, asking if someone could give me a call. However, since I’m at work, I phrase it as “out of 9 people, not calling out 5 people,” mentioning that I had a chip butty in the delightful bread cake from his constituency.

The bot’s interpretation of my accent is poor, and many phrases come through as gibberish. Unlike humans, it doesn’t grasp that the glottal stop before certain words often signifies “the,” which could have clarified my point.

Deciding to address concerns likely relevant to the constituency MP, I say, “My young neighbor hasn’t returned the old chief, yet he knows nothing about it. If no one comes for it, it’s not going down the road.”

I assume Seward would advise me to reach out to Leeds City Council regarding fly-tipping, but the AI suggests consulting with the police to report abandoned vehicles instead.

MPs’ aides will surely breathe a sigh of relief—there’s still plenty to worry about.