AI version of Francis Suarez hits digital campaign trail but doesn’t have all the answers

A super PAC backing Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination has released an artificial intelligence chatbot to answer questions about his candidacy.

On Wednesday, SOS America PAC released “AI Francis Suarez,” a chatbot featuring an avatar that looks and sounds like the mayor as it talks about his campaign for president. The bot appears to be based on a close-up picture of Suarez’s face as he sits in his City Hall office in Miami.

“Hi I’m AI Francis Suarez,” the bot says. “You’ve probably heard that my namesake, conservative Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, is running for president. I’m here to answer questions you may have about Mayor Suarez’s proven agenda for economic prosperity, cutting spending and supporting our police. So how can I help?”

The bot appears to provide only a few recorded video statements in responses to questions. When a Herald reporter asked the bot to explain the mayor’s plans to confront the impacts and causes of climate change, the bot said nothing on the topic. It responded with a general statement praising Suarez’s term as mayor.

“Conservative Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s leadership has transformed Miami into a city’s that thriving economically,” the bot responded. The bot went on to tout low unemployment and a historically low property tax rate during the mayor’s tenure.

The tool provided the same, non-responsive answer when asked if the mayor will release his tax returns or a list of his private clients, topics that have received increased attention as Suarez faces multiple investigations into his quiet consulting work for a developer who used the mayor’s office to clear a permitting hurdle on Coconut Grove project last year. Recently released city records show the mayor also worked with the developer, Rishi Kapoor, in the past to draft legislation that would have benefited Kapoor’s Grove project.

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When the Herald asked “Why is Mayor Suarez running for president?” the bot responded with an animated avatar of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ head, speaking in a voice resembling his. The message pokes fun at the governor’s recent battles with Disney, which Suarez has criticized on the campaign trail.

“I’m AI Ron DeSantis. Listen, I know conservative Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is concerned with saving America’s economy, supporting our police officers, keeping American communities safe, and standing up to China,” the bot says. “But I want to talk about the single greatest threat to American families today. Mickey Mouse. Yes, Mickey Mouse. Run for your lives.”

In a statement announcing the bot, PAC spokesman Chapin Fay said “Mayor Suarez has been at the forefront of technology in leadership” while promoting Miami as a tech capital.

“AI Mayor Suarez is the first of his kind in a U.S. presidential campaign and just the beginning,” Fay said. “Stay tuned for more technological advances from the most innovative candidate for president of any party, conservative Mayor Francis Suarez.”

The PAC did not respond to the Herald’s questions about the chatbot.

Suarez’s campaign is not legally permitted to coordinate with the super PAC. Campaign spokeswoman Soledad Cedro told the Herald the campaign did not work with the PAC on the chatbot.

“The campaign has nothing to do with whatever the PAC does,” Cedro said. “This is something done by the PAC.”

The mayor was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on the Fourth of July, where he ran a 5K race, greeted voters at a pancake breakfast and threw the ceremonial first pitch at a minor league baseball game.

In order to be included in the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, Suarez needs to have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in more than 20 states or territories, according to criteria set by the Republican National Committee. He also needs to be polling at least 1% in three national polls.

Suarez is not registering at all in major national polls, according to polling data aggregator RealClearPolitics. A poll released June 28 by Fox News, where the mayor has been a frequent on-air guest, showed him at 0%.

Miami Herald staff writer Sarah Blaskey contributed to this report.