In a recent interview with Dagens industri (via The Guardian), Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, stated that he often consults AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and the French service Le Chat for a ‘second opinion’ on decisions.
“I use it myself quite often,” Kristersson remarked in the interview. “If for nothing else than for a second opinion. What have others done? And should we think the complete opposite? Those types of questions.”
This admission has raised eyebrows, especially given Sweden’s turbulent past with leaders known for unconventional methods, such as a former Prime Minister who reportedly consulted mediums.
Virginia Dignum, a professor of responsible AI at Umeå University, pointed out the dangers of relying heavily on AI, stating, “The more he relies on AI for simple things, the bigger the risk of overconfidence in the system. It is a slippery slope. We must demand that reliability can be guaranteed. We didn’t vote for ChatGPT.”
Similarly, Jakob Ohlsson criticized Kristersson’s approach, claiming, “he is inputting his political thoughts into a language model he does not understand, owned by a company he does not control.”
In response to concerns, a spokesman for Kristersson emphasized that he never inputs sensitive information into AI tools. However, Ohlsson argued that it only takes minimal information for analysts to piece together strategic insights about the government.
Signe Krantz, a writer for Aftonbladet, warned that chatbots often cater to expectations rather than deliver necessary truths, questioning why the PM would choose these tools over his staff of skilled experts. “It can take longer for an expert to fix the AI’s mistakes than it would have taken to do the job from scratch,” she stated. “This poses a security risk, especially coming from the Prime Minister.”
Despite the criticism, not all agree: In a Dagens industri editorial, Tobias Wikström supported the PM’s interest in AI technology but noted that it comes with caveats, urging caution in trusting AI-driven information.
