Overview
- Wiener said Friday his campaign removed the ConnieChan.ai chatbot and will take down billboards that directed voters to it while apologizing for a tactic he said "missed the mark."
- The chatbot was created by Wiener’s team as a parody to mock Connie Chan’s record on housing and public transit and to portray her as an obstructionist.
- Nancy Pelosi and a coalition of Democratic officials and local groups condemned the imitation as sexist and racist and called the stunt a misuse of technology that can harm women and public trust.
- Chan’s campaign labeled the tool a "bigotry bot," used the controversy to energize volunteers at a new campaign headquarters and sought to turn the episode into political momentum for the November runoff.
- The episode sharpens debate over generative-AI in elections, raises questions about consistency with Wiener's past vote for an anti–deepfake bill and increases calls for clearer party norms or regulation on AI-driven impersonation.