A veteran Canadian politician, Bill Oliver, has become the subject of widespread online ridicule after he inadvertently read out Artificial Intelligence (AI) prompts while delivering a formal speech in the provincial legislature.The incident, which took place in the legislative assembly of New Brunswick in early June, has recently gone viral after video footage of the gaffe began circulating on social media.The ‘Autopilot’ errorBill Oliver, a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, was delivering a speech when he began reading lines that were clearly instructions from an AI chatbot rather than the intended content. Not once, but twice, Oliver recited the AI’s suggestions as part of his official remarks.According to the footage, Oliver said aloud: “Here’s a more natural, flowing version of that section that reads like a legislative speech rather than a series of short points”.It appears that Oliver or a staff member had used an AI tool to convert a series of bullet points into a formal speech but failed to review the final text before it was delivered. Consequently, the politician ended up reading the entire conversation thread, including the AI’s “stage directions”.Irony and public backlashThe mistake was made even more awkward by the topic of the speech. At the moment of the gaffe, Oliver was ironically discussing the importance of “public confidence” and trust in the advocate’s office.The clip has sparked a wave of criticism across social media platforms, where users have expressed frustration over the perceived laziness of elected officials.One user commented that many politicians seem to be “running on autopilot” and suggested that “might as well let the AI just run the government”. Others pointed out that the issue isn’t the use of AI itself, but rather the failure to even read the words before standing up to address the legislature.Critics argued that such incidents highlight a growing “disconnection and indifference” toward the public by modern politicians.The growing role of AI in politicsThe incident has reignited debates regarding the rules of using AI in government and whether the reliance on technology is undermining the authenticity of political representation. As one social media user noted, “If politicians are using AI to generate their speeches… what’s the point of even having them in there?”.As of now, the viral clip continues to draw millions of views, serving as a cautionary tale for public figures using generative technology to prepare their remarks.