Vancouver mayor clarifies ’11 AI agents’ used to do work is strictly personal

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is clarifying his remarks that he uses “11 AI agents” to do a lot of his work, saying it’s in a strictly personal capacity.

Sim had praised the efficiency of AI tools at the Web Summit in Vancouver on Tuesday, saying he expects AI to be 64 times better in three years.

He said he uses AI agents to do a lot of his work “in the background,” but online critics including rival mayoral candidate Kareem Allam questioned whether he was sharing government data or residents’ personal information.

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Sim says in a statement on Wednesday that the AI agents or tools he used were on a personal computer that has never been brought to city hall or connected to its networks.

He says the tools were never used to make city decisions, access confidential information or perform municipal tasks.

Sim says he used AI technology for personal learning, scanning news, tracking global and financial events, following “thought leaders,” and dietary planning.

“It’s clear that those spreading misinformation and speculation could discourage investment in Vancouver’s growing technology sector,” reads the statement, in which Sim encourages people to “keep learning new skills.”