London's mayor is making his first big speech this week. We asked ChatGPT to write it

As London's movers and shakers dust off their best convention centre breakfast clothing and Mayor Josh Morgan puts the finishing touches on his first state of the city address, we asked an artificial intelligence chatbot what should get top billing in the speech. 

The annual breakfast event kicks off the calendar year for the city's business crowd and raises money for the Chamber of Commerce. Guests fork out between $65 to $95 (plus tax) for a ticket to see the city's top politician discuss his outlook for the coming year. 

"Highlights of the address typically include economic forecasts, news about job creation and growth, as well as the strategic direction that is being taken by council," the chamber writes on its website. 

This year's speech is scheduled for Tuesday morning, but CBC News has asked ChatGPT to write a speech for Morgan, in case he needs some last-minute ideas.

And while many of the things in the address generated by the AI bot aren't specific to London, they do seem like ideas that could come out of a politician's mouth.

"As we look to the future, I am filled with hope and optimism for what we can achieve together as a city. We have faced many challenges over the past year, but the resilience and determination of our community has been truly inspiring," the AI-generated speech begins. 

"As we emerge from the pandemic, our focus must be on economic recovery and job creation. We will work to attract new businesses and industries to London, while also supporting the growth of our existing companies. We will also invest in infrastructure projects that will create jobs and improve the quality of life for our residents."

Politics has long used artificial intelligence to gather and use information about constituents, said Elizabeth Dubois, a professor of communication at the University of Ottawa, whose research focuses on how technology is embedded in the political sphere. 

"Internally, campaigns and politicians have been using AI to automate their communication needs, to figure out which voters might need someone sent to their door, for example," she said. "We know less about the external use of AI, for something such as a state of the city address." 

A speech like the one that Morgan will deliver has an impact and is important because it can provide real examples and be attuned to the needs of a particular community, something that a bot can't do if it's drawing from vast amounts of generalized data, Dubois said. 

"We know that there are specific political concerns in different cities, and a speech that's drawing on information not related to a particular politician or city is more problematic," she said. "It's not speaking to the particular time and place and the important issues that are there." 

Morgan's speech will conclude with a "fireside chat," where he will be taking questions from the media. If there are tough questions, perhaps the mayor will want to break into poetry. In that case, we asked ChatGPT to write a haiku about the city. Here it is: 

London town so grand

Trees in green, river flows calm

Nature's beauty stands