Despite being concerned artificial intelligence is replacing workers, NDP leadership candidate and union leader Rob Ashton used AI during an online campaign event on Sunday.
Attentive users of the discussion platform Reddit noticed several of Ashton’s responses during his AMA (short for “ask me anything”) seemed like they had been generated by AI.
After CBC News sent those concerns to the Ashton campaign, a post soon appeared on the r/ndp subreddit apologizing.
“Some of those answers were written with the help of AI tools and I’m deeply sorry about that,” Ashton’s campaign wrote on the platform.
Ashton’s team said that he was on the road and he had asked helpers and volunteers to “draft answers” for him to review.
“It looks like some answers were posted without me reviewing and approving,” the post said.
Ashton, who is building a brand as a politician who tells it like it is, said he wanted to be transparent about what had happened.
“A key part of leadership is accountability, and I want to reassure everyone that this won’t happen again,” the post said.
Ashton, a dockworker and president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, has emerged as one of the front-runners in the NDP leadership race. He has positioned himself as the working-class candidate against the four other official candidates in the race.
Reddit users were the first ones to call out Ashton’s reliance on responses that seemed to be generated by large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. Users said the reliance of em dashes and bullet points indicated a human did not write some of the answers.
Comments responding Ashton’s apology ranged from users calling it unacceptable to disingenuous.
“Rob, I’m a big supporter of yours, I only got my membership to vote for you. I’ve [been] able to get 23 of my friends, family and just other people online to renew or buy memberships for the first time cause of you,” one user said.
“So it pains me to say this, but this isn’t acceptable, like not at all.”
During the AMA, a post from Ashton’s account said he was against the use of AI in several cases.
“Right now, AI is being used to replace workers, exploit artists and creators, spread misinformation and undermine democracy — all in the interest of corporate profit. That’s not acceptable,” Ashton posted on Sunday.
He called for strong regulations on AI, including a royal commission and modernized laws that protect people and platforms. He also linked AI to the rise of fascism and the increasing concentration of wealth among a few billionaires.
“The bottom line: Both fascism and unregulated AI are class issues. They serve corporate power by dividing workers and stripping people of control,” Ashton said on Reddit.
He said he would be deleting the AI-generated responses and writing his own over the next few days.
The NDP leadership race has been relatively quiet and free of major political blunders since it began last September.
Ashton’s adventures with AI, alongside Heather McPherson’s view that the NDP should not adopt “purity tests,” stand out as some of the notable political gaffes the race has seen.
McPherson was accused of using the language of the political right to attack the left.
In a campaign that has been described as a close three-way race, moments like these could sway NDP members.
