**AI Enters Political Arena in Virginia Congressional Debate**

In a unique twist, Bentley Hensel, an independent candidate for Virginia's 8th District, used an AI-powered bot to stand in for incumbent Don Beyer during a debate on Oct. 17. Beyer declined the invitation, prompting Hensel to create "DonBot," trained on Beyer's public statements and policies.

Hensel, a software engineer, initially built DonBot using OpenAI but later switched to open-source models after OpenAI banned his account for political use. The debate, streamed online, faced technical issues, including DonBot's inaudibility at times.

Both Hensel and Beyer advocate for AI regulation, reflecting a broader trend among candidates to address tech topics like AI, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain. The upcoming 2024 elections are seeing increased scrutiny from Big Tech and political action committees on these issues.