Nancy Pelosi torched by Dem women over totally absurd attack on would-be successor: A lot of fake outrage

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped into a campaign chatbot earlier this month, accusing a rival’s AI creation of being “sexist” — but now female allies of the candidate behind it are firing back at Pelosi over what they call her “absurd” accusations.California state Sen.Scott Wiener launched the chatbot earlier this month to poke fun at fellow Democrat and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, who has Pelosi’s endorsement in the race to succeed her.Wiener and Chan are set to face off in November for Pelosi’s congressional seat.The chatbot billed itself as “the world’s first AI trained to say no to anything you ask,” a knock on Chan’s reputation among critics as a progressive NIMBY who has opposed numerous housing proposals.Both Chan and Pelosi were outraged at the chatbot tactic, and Pelosi, a California political icon, recruited other women in politics to condemn Wiener.

She said using AI to impersonate a female voice is a “gross misuse of technology and reflects a disturbing willingness to erase women’s agency.”Amid that backlash, Wiener took the chatbot down.But powerful female leaders in San Francisco are now questioning Pelosi for her accusations, they told the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday. A “Women for Scott” rally is being held on Saturday.“It feels like there’s a lot of fake outrage about this chatbot,” said Nancy Tung, the chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party.

“I suppose you know that’s part of the political game – to put as favorable a slant as you want to for your own purposes for each campaign,” she added.Famed women advocate Susie Tompkins Buell labeled Pelosi’s cries of sexism as “totally absurd.”“He is the most non-sexist, non-racist person.I don’t know who would even say that,” Buell said on Wiener.

“But if it was (Pelosi), it was careless and not appropriate and not true.”Pelosi has been very involved in the race to succeed her outside of her chatbot condemnation....