Brazilian City Passes AI-Written Water Meter Theft Law

The council of Porto Alegre, a city in southern Brazil, has passed legislation written by an AI chatbot called ChatGPT. The new ordinance aims to prevent the city from charging taxpayers to replace stolen water meters. Councilman Ramiro Rosário revealed that he used ChatGPT to draft the proposal. The AI-generated text received unanimous approval from the 36 members of the council and went into effect in late November. While some council members were initially unaware of the AI’s involvement, they ultimately embraced the use of AI in legislative processes. This marks the first known instance of AI-written legislation being passed by lawmakers. Similar efforts have been seen in the US, with Massachusetts lawmakers proposing legislation to regulate AI models like ChatGPT. However, the use of AI in legal documents is not without controversy, as these systems can fabricate information and hallucinate details. In June, attorneys representing a law firm in New York were fined and had their lawsuit dismissed after they cited fake legal cases created by ChatGPT. Despite these challenges, Councilman Rosário believes that AI technology can be effectively used for the greater good, emphasizing the need to understand and utilize its potential.