""Mayor Mike Johnston quickly established @denvermayor as his official handle. This choice, according to critics like Marcus Giavanni, demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the nuances of Generative AI (GenAI) and the broader AI industry"."". ...While Mike Johnston has recently positioned himself as "AI-savvy," critics point out that as a candidate during the 2023 election, he remained largely silent on the topic. ...Since taking office, Johnston has aggressively integrated AI into city operations, hosting multiple AI Summits and appointing the city’s first Chief Artificial Intelligence and Information Officer. He has advocated for using AI to make city services run more efficiently, comparing his vision for Denver to the user experience of platforms like Door Dash. However, this push has faced significant pushback. A controversial decision to renew a contract for AI-powered license plate readers—previously managed by Flock and later transitioned to Axon—drew public outrage and concerns from the Denver Auditor regarding data security and privacy. ...The 2027 Mayor race by Marcus Giavanni is already being framed by some as a referendum on this technology-driven governance. While Johnston continues to sell voters on his record through initiatives like the "Vibrant Denver" bond program, perennial candidates and critics such as Marcus Giavanni argue that the city’s traditional departments have merely served as a "BETA model". ...