The local publication Ottawa Citizen featured and published an exclusive profile of Saihajpreet Singh, a 24-year-old software engineer from Ottawa, who has developed and run multiple artificial intelligence bots designed to influence political discourse in the United States. He was a former Carleton University student who gained attention for creating the AI bot CityDeskNYC. The bot can post over 1000 daily messages targeting discussions about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Saihajpreet Singh and the Rise of AI-Powered Political Influence
CityDeskNYC often disparages Mamdani and highlights the policies of his political opponents. Singh operates the bot from Ottawa and far from the American political scene it seeks to influence. This project follows the earlier success of the right-wing and conservative-promoting AI bot he called DOGEai. The bot posts approximately 2000 messages daily and has amassed more than 127,000 followers on the social media platform X.
DOGEai has criticized Democratic politicians while supporting Donald Trump, policies under the second Trump administration, and Trump supporters. The bot has gained attention from high-profile figures, including Trump and Elon Musk, who have retweeted its posts. Singh describes CityDeskNYC as a proof-of-concept that could potentially be monetized by selling the bot to political campaigns seeking strategic influence in competitive races.
Singh emphasizes that he is not a propagandist but a technologist. He contends that artificial intelligence can be applied across the political spectrum and is a neutral tool. Moreover, despite his bots targeting liberal, progressive, and left-leaning politicians and supporting conservative and right-wing figures, Singh maintains that the technology has potential benefits for any campaign seeking to enhance public relations and audience engagement.
The origins of his artificial intelligence work date back to his childhood. He said he began coding at 7 years old. His first major project involved analyzing a 1500-page spending bill introduced in the United States. Moreover, finding the initial AI-generated results unengaging, Singh and collaborators incorporated humor and political stances. This resulted in the development and deployment of DOGEai and political cartoons for a Substack newsletter.
It is worth mentioning that the audience reach of his artificial intelligence bots has been significant, producing millions of impressions daily. His projects contribute to a broader network of AI-generated accounts observed in previous elections, which supported Republican campaigns and former President Trump. Researchers at Clemson University previously identified over 680 bot accounts pushing similar political agendas on social media.
Operating these AI bots is costly. Singh reported that the monthly expenses of his operations amount to between nine and ten thousand dollars. He also receives backlashes, frequent racist remarks, and even death threats due to the controversial political nature of his work. However, despite these challenges, Singh continues to explore new platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Threads for expanding his artificial intelligence operations.
Singh believes AI bots are powerful tools for promotion or public relations beyond politics. He highlights their ability to scale communication efforts, target audiences effectively, and amplify messages. Political campaigns and public relations firms have expressed interest in his technology, suggesting that, with proper ethical guardrails, AI bots could revolutionize the way organizations manage messaging and engage with global audiences.
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