Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is facing backlash after revealing that he routinely consults artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and LeChat to gather second opinions on political matters.
In an interview with the business daily Dagens industri, Kristersson, who leads Sweden’s center-right coalition government, said he uses AI to explore alternative viewpoints and assess international policy approaches. “If for nothing else than for a second opinion. What have others done? And should we think the complete opposite?” he explained.
However, the admission has raised alarm among academics and media critics alike.
“You have to be very careful,” said Simone Fischer-Hübner, a cybersecurity researcher at Karlstad University, in comments to Aftonbladet, warning that AI tools are not suited to processing sensitive or classified information.
The Aftonbladet editorial board accused Kristersson of falling prey to an “AI psychosis,” criticizing his embrace of tools largely controlled by foreign tech giants.
Kristersson’s spokesperson, Tom Samuelsson, later clarified that no sensitive government information is shared with AI platforms. “It is used more as a ballpark,” he said.
Still, concerns persist.
“We didn’t vote for ChatGPT,” said Virginia Dignum, professor of responsible AI at Umeå University, in an interview with Dagens Nyheter. “The more he relies on AI for simple things, the bigger the risk of overconfidence. It is a slippery slope.”
Critics argue that even non-sensitive AI usage by top leaders can set risky precedents, particularly if public policy decisions begin to reflect the biases or limitations of commercially trained AI models.
The controversy highlights growing global scrutiny over how elected officials engage with AI tools, and the ethical boundaries that must be drawn to preserve democratic accountability.
