Wiener said the chatbot was labeled as parody and accused Chan’s supporters of asking the chatbot “malicious” questions to discredit it and create controversy.
“Having failed at that effort, Chan’s endorsers, including Speaker Emerita Pelosi, are now making baseless claims about the chatbot, which is clearly labeled as a parody. No reasonable person would believe the website is from Connie Chan,” Wiener said in a campaign statement.
The next day, Saturday, Wiener said his campaign would take down the chatbot and associated billboards targeting Chan, saying the tactics had become a distraction.
Wiener said in a statement he was never “afraid to push the envelope.”
“But our use of an AI chatbot clearly missed the mark,” he said. “The conversation became about the tactic instead of the issues that actually matter to San Franciscans — housing and health care they can afford, transit that works, schools that serve every kid, and a downtown that comes back stronger. The focus must remain on those critical issues, so we’re taking the chatbot and billboards down.”