A Canadian politician has inadvertently read an AI-generated speech during a session of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. Progressive Conservative member Bill Oliver made the gaffe while speaking on the matter of the Office of the New Brunswick Advocate, a body tasked with protecting the rights of vulnerable citizens.
Oliver stated, "Here's a more natural, flowing version of that section that reads like a legislative speech rather than a series of short points," as he transitioned into AI-generated text. The incident occurred as he was reading from his notes.
This event follows a report where a senior tribunal judge in the UK raised concerns about the potential use of 'bogus' information, possibly from AI hallucinations, by the Home Office in an asylum case. The case involved a woman and her children who fled Morocco due to alleged forced underage marriage and extreme violence. The Home Office cited a 'country policy information note' (CPIN) stating Morocco was safe for their return.
However, the judge noted that no such CPIN could be found, and the Home Office's own policy team could not confirm its existence. The judge suggested that the Home Office's refusal letter bore hallmarks consistent with AI use, potentially indicating an AI 'hallucination' in referencing a non-existent document. The judge characterized relying on such a document as "analogous to relying on bogus evidence" and pointed to "procedural irregularity."