![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEC_261261380-0f3e.jpg\")
\n\t\tMark Sewards MP and AI Mark, his alter-ego created by local firm Neural Voice (Picture: UK Parliament\/Neural Voice\/Metro)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tMark Sewards MP and AI Mark, his alter-ego created by local firm Neural Voice (Picture: UK Parliament\/Neural Voice\/Metro)<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, if the good people of Leeds<\/a> South West and Morley ever wanted to ask their MP something, they had to wait until he was on the clock, behind his desk, or \u2013 at the very least \u2013 currently awake.<\/p>\n Not any more.<\/p>\n As of today, Labour MP Mark Sewards is available to his constituents (or anyone else) every minute of every hour of every day, and prepared with an answer to any question.<\/p>\n Because Sewards is now both man and machine, both mind and computer. He is the UK\u2019s first parliamentarian to fuse himself with an AI<\/a> avatar, harnessing the considerable power of a rapidly evolving technology.<\/p>\n OK, that\u2019s maybe a bit much. Put simply, a West Yorkshire<\/a> MP has partnered with an AI start-up run by one of his constituents to develop a chatbot available online.<\/p>\n It\u2019s pitched as a way for local residents to \u2018share your concerns and get assistance\u2019 \u2013 pretty far from the world of Blade Runner<\/a> or Ex Machina.<\/p>\n And, as you\u2019ll see later on, it\u2019s not entirely without its issues.<\/p>\n Head to the website<\/a>, and you\u2019ll find a cartoon version of Sewards (in a style familiar from that trend last year where people turned themselves into a Pixar character) introducing himself as \u2018AI Mark Sewards\u2019.<\/p>\n All you have to do is provide your email, consent to the conversation being recorded and shared with the MP\u2019s team \u2018for follow-up\u2019, then hit the \u2018Chat with AI Mark\u2019 button.<\/p>\n I was a little surprised to learn the service is only available by microphone and not text, but it does make sense. It turns the interaction into more of a digital surgery, which might make it less likely for the interaction to turn abusive.<\/p>\n Immediately, I was met with a disembodied Yorkshire accent saying: \u2018Hi, I\u2019m AI Mark Sewards, Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley. How can I help you today?\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t After introducing myself, I decided to start the conversation with a question I was later planning to ask the real Mark Sewards, giving me the chance to compare.<\/p>\n Enunciating to avoid any potential trouble with my Scottish accent, I said aloud: \u2018I want to know why you wanted to turn yourself into an AI MP.\u2019<\/p>\n The AI responded: \u2018Thanks for your question Craig. The aim of having an AI like me is to enhance communication with constituents and make it easier for everyone to have their voices heard. <\/p>\n \u2018I want to ensure that the interests and concerns of the people in Leeds South West and Morley are represented effectively. It\u2019s all about connecting with you in a more accessible way.\u2019<\/p>\n The results from my next couple of questions concerned me. A query about whether there were any asylum hotels in the constituency \u2013 aiming to test the AI\u2019s local knowledge \u2013 was met with: \u2018I\u2019ll make sure to pass your inquiry about asylum hotels in Leeds<\/a> South West and Morley to my team.\u2019<\/p>\n And when I asked how Sewards voted on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, the AI told me: \u2018I\u2019m not able to provide specifics on my voting history at this time.\u2019<\/p>\n Is this how it was going to work? Just replying with promises to let the team know what I ask, or saying it can\u2019t provide an answer yet?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tNew here? Sign up for Metro’s politics newsletter\t\t\t<\/p>\n Hello, I\u2019m Craig Munro and I\u2019m\u00a0Metro\u2018s man in Westminster<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every Wednesday, I write our\u00a0Alright, Gov?\u00a0newsletter with insights from behind the scenes in the Houses of Parliament<\/a> \u2013 and how the decisions made there will end up affecting you.<\/p>\n \t\t Last week we had a look at the impact of the government\u2019s big announcement on\u00a0recognising Palestinian statehood<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and answered a question from a reader about how petitions work.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s newsletter is out today at 5.30pm.<\/p>\n Click\u00a0here to sign up<\/a><\/p>\n Things got a bit more interesting when I asked about the biggest crime issues in the constituency \u2013 these include \u2018antisocial behaviour, retail crime and the need for better support for shop workers\u2019, which Sewards would help tackle by \u2018push[ing] for more funding and local support\u2019.<\/p>\n For some reason, the auto-transcription thought I responded to this by saying \u2018What a guy\u2019 \u2013 a bit of a blow to my journalistic integrity.<\/p>\n \u2018Thank you, Craig,\u2019 said AI Mark. \u2018I appreciate your kind words.\u2019<\/p>\n Perhaps that\u2019s why I then turned to one of the thorniest issues among Labour MPs: the cuts to Universal Credit<\/a> contained in the recent benefits bill. <\/p>\n I knew real-life Mark Sewards voted for the bill, which slashed the health element of UC by half while ensuring the standard allowance would go up by more than inflation each year until the end of the decade.<\/p>\n But did the AI know that too? I asked: \u2018Do you support cuts to Universal Credit?\u2019<\/p>\n AI Mark said: \u2018I do not support cuts to Universal Credit. <\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s crucial that we provide a strong safety net for those in need, especially during challenging times, advocate for policies that protect and enhance support for vulnerable individuals and families.\u2019<\/p>\n I\u2019d have to get actual Mark to clear this one up for me.<\/p>\n \t\t Later that afternoon, he appeared on my computer screen, looking reassuringly human. His voice was exactly the same as the robot\u2019s, though, thanks to the work of his tech entrepreneur constituent Jeremy Smith.<\/p>\n \u2018I actually had an extended, one-and-a-half-hour interview with Jeremy, in which he asked me loads of different questions to get all the different inflections,\u2019 he told me.<\/p>\n So, why did Sewards want to turn himself into an AI MP?<\/p>\n The idea was first brought up by Jeremy, he told me. \u2018I\u2019ll admit I was sceptical at first, because I knew very little about AI, but the one thing we do know is that the revolution is coming. It\u2019s coming whether we embrace it or not.<\/p>\n \u2018And what better way to learn about AI than to throw myself into this?\u2019<\/p>\n I was glad AI Mark didn\u2019t give the same answer to that question. It would sound a lot more sinister coming from him.<\/p>\n As for the UC moment, Sewards suggested he didn\u2019t think it had \u2018necessarily been inaccurate in giving that answer\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018It contained cuts to the health element, but it included an inflation-busting rise for the standard rate of Universal Credit. So I think what it\u2019s probably done there is it\u2019s taken that piece of information.\u2019<\/p>\n If AI is going to replace MPs for good, clearly it\u2019ll have to get better at spin.<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_261260816-f6d8.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe real Mark Sewards, who entered parliament at last year\u2019s election (Picture: Roger Harris)<\/p>\n![\"Craig](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1000035072-1431-e1753369549639.jpg\")
\n\t\tCraig reports every week from inside the Palace of Westminster<\/p>\n![\"Science](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SEI_254746455-65bb.jpg\")
\n\t\tTech minister Peter Kyle has been keen to stress the opportunities of AI in government (Picture: Jonathan Brady\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n
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\nMORE: Corbyn vs Starmer, modern manners, and a crumbling NHS<\/a><\/p>\n