'I'm not an AI': Reform UK candidate accused of being a bot speaks out

Mark Matlock, a reformist candidate who was suffering from pneumonia, missed voting on election night and then checked social media to find he was being accused of being an AI bot.

Seeing his glossy profile picture, online critics decided he was computer generated, which inevitably sparked an outrage on Twitter.

Adding fuel to the fire was his failure to campaign or even attend the results after winning 1,758 votes in Brixton and Clapham Hill on the day Nigel Farage and his new party achieved a national victory.

To make matters worse, he also called for “responsible management of the transition of human jobs to AI” on his website.

But in an attempt to quell the rumours, Matlock said: Independent Call on Monday.

Still recovering from an illness, he began the conversation with a husky voice, reassuring me that he was a real person: “Hello, I'm Mark Matlock. How are you?”

“I am a real person and the person in the photo is me,” he admitted, “but I must admit I enjoy the free publicity. When I feel like it, I'll put out a video to prove that the rumors about me being a robot are complete nonsense.”

“I got pneumonia three days before Election Day. I was working out and taking vitamins so I could vote, but it was just too much. I couldn't even stand on Election Night.”

“My photo was taken outside the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. I had the background removed and replaced with a logo and I changed the colour of my tie – the only reason I did that was because I was on short notice and couldn't get a photographer. But here I am.”

The candidate explained that his initial reaction to the online conspiracy theory was that he was amused.

“When I saw it, I just laughed,” he said. “I think it gave me energy. I was like, 'I've got to get out there again!' This is better for me than campaigning. It's great.”

Matlock's political opponents were quick to raise concerns about his credibility.

Green Party candidate Xiaolan Yuan told Byline Times before Reform Members could confirm his identity: “I have never met or been in contact with the Reform Party candidate for Clapham and Brixton Hill. He was not at the election campaign. I have heard allegations that the image on his leaflet may have been generated by AI.”

Independent John Key added that “he was nowhere to be seen” on election night.

“I emailed Mark and all the other candidates,” he said. “I got a response from a few, but not from Mark. He doesn't live in the district.”

But Matlock claims: “I called Lambeth Borough Council many times to get involved in the campaign but nobody would invite me to campaign. I'm all for campaigning, I care about what I'm campaigning for and I want people to ask me questions but I was never given the opportunity. The Conservative and Labour parties didn't want us to be involved in the campaign.”

On claims he was absent from campaigning in London, he said: “I was absolutely delighted. [with the votes] We had time. I was campaigning in Clacton to make sure Nigel won his seat. If he hadn't, our whole party would have been made a laughing stock.

“With limited time, I could not organize a strong team of volunteers to canvass door to door and distribute leaflets. I was outside the metro stations but other days I had to focus on neighbouring constituencies.”

“We really never expected to achieve the results we did in London. We got four million votes but only five seats. Some people are hurting but generally we're fired up. We're a new party and an election has been thrust upon us in such a short space of time. It's unbelievable.”