The last time that the president-elect was indisputably seen in public, was at his inaugural rally at which a third presumed unsuccessful attempt on his life resulted in his being whisked away and out of sight.
After a night of panic by his supporters, a reassuring video was released of the now President, sitting up in his hospital bed and raising a fist in a defiant gesture. Thereafter, the POTUS made no live appearances, his team stating that three attempts on his life were quite enough.
The irony was that the techniques which had served the president during his candidacy for re-election, to smear opponents, were now used to supplant the presence of the ageing and unstable would-be dictator. Deep fakes, AI-generated speeches flowed forth, for God knows, there were enough speeches to train the AIs in the rambling, vitriolic, and emotion-soaked appeal that was the President’s trademark. The crew that had pushed the president forward over the last four years, not to mention his long-suffering wife, breathed a sigh of relief and prompted the AIs to generate a more coherent presidency which went exactly to plan…
Winter has come forth
freezing forever the fruit
of misbegotten dreams…
Andrew Wilson, 2024
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Frank J. Tassone in Haibun Monday dares us to create a sci-fi Haibun…
A great scenario, Andrew! Scary to think there could be a AI clone of our president elect!!
Quite, Dwight! One is enough…
In this age of Disinformation, one wonders whether this Science Fiction haibun may, in fact, soon become tomorrow’s hard news haibun. Eloquently done!
And if this came to pass would we be glad?
Such a possibility, it’s scary to think about really. Wonderfully written.
Yes, it’s actually possible I think – almost not fiction, Di…
This is so clever and eerie at the same time. Misinformation is an entity of its own and the gap is closing between our wildest imagination and reality, as far as the methods use to spew it. Your haiku hits hard.
A topical theme, Andrew, and I detect more than a touch of irony in your haibun! Maybe it’s true and we already have an AI POTUS elect! He certainly behaves and speaks like one – as does Musk. I love the way they portray them on Radio 4’s ‘Dead Ringers’. Just don’t post your haibun on X!
LOL, Kim…
A very clever and highly enjoyable take. That notion, AI generated speeches/appearances does not seem too farfetched to me, I must say. Seems like something his “team” would be capable of doing.
That would be terrifying… exactly according to plan. His incoherence is what I hope for
Great haibun, Andrew! The haiku with winter reference reinforces a chilling permanence … the cost of misusing “progress.” Cheers.
I couldn’t think how I was going to fulfil the seasonal element of the haiku with such a subject – but then it came to me – thanks, Helen…
How unsettling an idea! I marvel that AI had become so advanced that this is even a remote possibility. As Mish said: clever and eerie at the same time.
Be afraid, Nicole, be very afraid because this IS already possible…