Westminster To Use AI For Parliamentary Answers!

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Hi, [snorts and clears throat] welcome to another episode of hot takes.

[00:00:02]Parliamentary questions are meant to let MPs and the Lords force proper answers out of government.

[00:00:10]Now, apparently, they're actually going to be getting answers written by bots.

[00:00:17]Uh according to leaked plans, the cabinet office will use AI to produce the first draft of answers to official publications or official questions from next week. The system will reportedly draw on departmental briefing papers, Hansard, and previous answers before civil service edit the response and ministers sign it off.

[00:00:35]So, government by by AI. This is bound to be a rip-roaring success, isn't it? The government source says the answers will only be as good as the source material.

[00:00:47]Yeah, well, obviously, yeah.

[00:00:49]Parliamentary questions are already famous for being evasive and waffling.

[00:00:52]Half answers, we do not hold that information, etc., etc. Now, Westminster is just going to get automated waffle on a grand scale.

[00:01:02]The danger is obvious though. MPs ask human ministers hard questions and they get machines to answer them because they're not able to.

[00:01:09]And then when it all goes wrong, they say, "Well, the AI got it wrong." And it won't be the minister's fault.

[00:01:13]Passing the buck, shifting the blame.

[00:01:17]Always the the the political way, isn't it? MPs never like to take responsibility.

[00:01:23]Let me know what you think. Thanks a lot. Bye.

[00:01:26]Incidentally, no cyber waffle here. My own waffle, me.