In a groundbreaking move, city lawmakers in Porto Alegre, Brazil, have unknowingly passed what is believed to be the country's first legislation written entirely by artificial intelligence (AI). The ordinance, aimed at preventing taxpayers from being charged to replace stolen water consumption meters, was crafted by OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT. City councilman Ramiro Rosario, who initiated the proposal, revealed this surprising fact to the public, sparking objections and raising concerns about the role of AI in public policy.

Rosario admitted that if he had disclosed the proposal's AI origin before presenting it to the council, it likely would not have been taken seriously. However, the proposal was unanimously approved by the 36-member council and went into effect on November 23. Rosario argued that it would have been unfair to deprive the population of a potentially beneficial project simply because it was written by artificial intelligence.

The introduction of ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot, has ignited a global debate regarding the implications of such revolutionary technology. While some see it as a promising tool, others express concerns and anxiety about the unintended consequences of replacing human tasks with machines. ChatGPT operates by predicting the next word in a sentence, sometimes leading to the generation of false information, a phenomenon known as "hallucination." In fact, a recent study conducted by Vectara, a tech company, showed that false information is introduced by chatbots anywhere from 3% to 27% of the time.

Andrew Perlman, dean at Suffolk University Law School, highlighted the potential significance of ChatGPT but also cautioned that it may not possess the same level of understanding and judgment as a human lawyer when it comes to interpreting legal principles and precedent. He expressed concerns that relying solely on AI for legal analysis could lead to problems in situations that require a more nuanced understanding of the law.

Although Rosario was not the first lawmaker to experiment with ChatGPT's capabilities, his decision to utilize the AI chatbot to draft an entire ordinance without the knowledge of his peers has drawn attention. Democratic state Sen. Barry Finegold of Massachusetts also turned to ChatGPT to assist in drafting a bill to regulate AI models, but emphasized the importance of transparency, suggesting that ChatGPT-generated work should be watermarked to ensure everyone is aware of its origin.

In the case of Porto Alegre, transparency was lacking as Rosario intentionally kept the AI origin of the proposal a secret. His intention was not only to address a local issue but also to ignite a debate surrounding the potential of AI. He inputted a 49-word prompt into ChatGPT, which promptly returned a complete draft proposal, including justifications, within seconds. Rosario believes that AI heralds a new technological revolution and wants to demonstrate its potential for good.

Initially, the council president, Hamilton Sossmeier, expressed concerns about the method employed by Rosario. However, after delving deeper into the topic, Sossmeier changed his position, acknowledging that the use of AI in drafting legislation is likely to become a trend.

The enactment of this AI-written ordinance in Porto Alegre has drawn attention to the evolving relationship between technology and governance. As the world grapples with AI's potential, it remains to be seen how this groundbreaking legislation will fare and whether it will inspire further exploration of AI's role in shaping public policy.