In October, the municipal council of Porto Alegre (RS), composed of 36 members, unanimously voted for the approval of a bill that spares the city’s residents from the costs of replacing water meters that are stolen.
After being examined by several committees, the law came into effect on November 23. The bill’s sponsor, councilor Ramiro Rosário, made an announcement six days later: the legislation was not a product of brainstorming sessions and political discussions, but rather entirely written by ChatGPT, the powerful text creation tool developed by OpenAI.
Rosário stated that ChatGPT processed a 250-character command and took about 15 seconds to employ its “algorithmic magic” and create a law – a process that would normally take about three days. The result, he said, demonstrated how artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool for optimizing and improving public service. However, the first law drafted by ChatGPT in Brazil has thrown the country into a debate that resonates worldwide: as artificial intelligence advances, is society prepared for a future where automation could replace humans?
“I return to the phrase that has become a kind of cliché on this subject: No one will be replaced by artificial intelligence, but everyone could be replaced by those who know how to use artificial intelligence,” Rosário told The Washington Post. “Therefore, we must prepare for this path.”
Self-declared technology enthusiast, Rosário wanted to bring “the debate around the beginning of a great technological revolution” to the political and public spheres, he said. For months, Rosário was inundated with complaints from his constituents about being charged for the installation of new meters when their water meters were stolen, and he wanted to do something about it.
In June, Rosário sat in front of the computer, opened ChatGPT, and typed a command: “Create a municipal law for the city of Porto Alegre, originating from the Legislative and not the Executive, that prohibits the Municipal Water and Sewage Department from charging the property owner for the payment of a new water meter when it is stolen.”
ChatGPT drafted a proposal with a justification and eight subsections. Rosário was “surprised,” he said. The most “extraordinary” part? Rosário said that ChatGPT had two ideas that had never crossed his mind: to establish a 30-day deadline for the city to replace stolen meters and, in cases where this deadline was not met, to exempt property owners from payment on their water bills.
“If I had followed the normal process, it would take days to talk to my team and legal sources,” he said. “But in a fraction of that time, AI searched its database for the best references on best practices in drafting bills both domestically and abroad. This was an unprecedented process of a bill drafted by AI that brought suggestions aligned with the principles and values of my mandate – I knew I had to sign it.”
Rosário submitted the text on June 7.
The council’s legislative drafting team reviewed Rosário’s initial proposal and adapted its wording to the typical style of legislation. But it made minimal changes and did not oppose any part of the content.
When Rosário revealed the secret, his colleagues were stunned. Some were fascinated. Others lamented the lack of transparency. The Council President, Hamilton Sossmeier, initially told local media that, although the use of AI was not explicitly prohibited, he thought it could set a “dangerous precedent.”
Sossmeier later changed his mind: “I started to read more deeply and saw that, unfortunately or fortunately, this is going to be a trend,” he told the Associated Press.
Although people are using ChatGPT in various ways – writing college essays, crafting songs in the style of Eminem, drafting Bible verses, etc. – experts warn against dependence on ChatGPT because it has a tendency to produce small errors, at best, and propagate misinformation, at worst.
Will this be the new reality for legislative houses around the world?
Source: Washington Post