London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

Could a chatbot answer Prime Minister's Questions?

Could a chatbot answer Prime Minister's Questions?

Politicians may be accused of being robotic on occasions - but the real robots are creeping into Parliament, and they are not taking bribe.A robot has given evidence in Parliament, an MP has used a chatbot to write a speech - what next?

In recent years, robots have given evidence to select committees and one MP has even used a chatbot to write one of his speeches in the House of Commons.

So just to have a bit of festive fun - or perhaps give a terrifying glimpse into our future under artificial intelligence overlords - we asked the chatbot ChatGPT to have a go at taking Prime Minister's Questions.

ChatGPT, created by artificial intelligence research company OpenAI, aims to simulate human conversation based on learning from human writing and trainers.

The chatbot is still being developed and its creators acknowledge its limitations including using "plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers" and being "excessively verbose".

But could it imagine being a politician? Here is what we learnt when we asked it to try.

Firstly, chatbot politicians are polite.

During his time as prime minister, Boris Johnson took part in some pretty angry exchanges with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Johnson called Sir Keir a "pointless human bollard" and "Captain Crash-A-Roony Snooze Fest". Sir Keir said Mr Johnson was "totally deluded" and "totally failing".



'Thank you Boris, have a good day'
However, when we asked ChatGPT to write an exchange between the two men, their relationship was somewhat different.

It began: "Good morning, Keir. How are you today?"

"Good morning, Boris. I'm doing well, thank you. How are you?" came the reply.

"I'm doing well, thank you. So, Keir, I wanted to talk to you about the government's plans for Brexit."

"Yes, I'd be happy to discuss that with you. What specifically do you want to know?"

"Well, we've been working on a new trade deal with the European Union, and I wanted to get your thoughts on it."

The exchange continues in this vein, with both men agreeing to work together in the interests of the country "regardless of political differences".

"Thank you, Boris. Have a good day," robot Sir Keir concludes.

For anyone who remembers the Brexit debates in Parliament, or the PMQs from earlier this year, this display of mutual goodwill will feel very unfamiliar.

When we asked the chatbot to take it up a level and write a "fiery exchange" between the two politicians, we were swiftly admonished.

"I'm sorry," said ChatGPT, "but I am not programmed to create content that is inflammatory."

Currently, the chatbot's knowledge only goes up to 2021, meaning we were unfortunately not able to simulate a conversation between Sir Keir and Mr Johnson's successor Rishi Sunak.

Moving away from Prime Minister's Questions, we asked the computer to have a go at writing an MP's maiden speech - the first speech they give in the House of Commons.

The result was pretty good. 



'Churchillian'
The fake MP begins by praising Parliament as "an esteemed body". They then express humility at the trust placed in them by their constituents and pledge to "serve to the best of my ability".

Their local constituency's community is praised as "diverse and vibrant".

Robot MP says they will always put their constituent's interests first and promise to work "across party lines to find solutions to challenges we face".

Add in a few references to the constituency's local football club, and this is pretty similar to the average MP's first speech to Parliament.

And at least one parliamentarian, has already had a go at using a chatbot to write their speech.

Conservative MP for Bosworth Luke Evans asked the tool to write a "Churchillian speech on the state of the United Kingdom over the last 12 months" and read out the 324-word script to MPs.

The speech praises the government for "its success in managing the economy" and "implementing its ambitious plan for Brexit".

It finishes with a quote from the wartime leader Winston Churchill: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts", before adding: "I believe that the UK has shown that courage over the past 12 months."

ChatGPT is not yet allowed to "express political opinions or engage in political activism".

So we are unlikely to see it pop up on ballot papers in the foreseeable future.

And that means the likes of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are safe in their jobs...for now.

Let's give the last word to the chatbot.

Asked if a bot could one day be prime minister, it said: "Overall, while it is theoretically possible for a robot to be the prime minister of a country, it would be a challenging task and would likely require significant advancements in artificial intelligence and decision-making capabilities."

Which sounds exactly like the kind of answer a quietly-ambitious politician would give.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
×