Thüringen’s Minister-President, Mario Voigt (CDU), is defending the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in his speeches and written statements. Voigt told the “Tagesspiegel” that he encourages all administrative staff to utilize all modern tools available for their work in 2026, adding that AI “is long ago part of modern communication.”
The news emerged after research conducted by the portal “Frag den Staat” (Ask the State), which alleged that Voigt may have used AI-generated content in multiple addresses. This potentially included his condolence speech for his predecessor, former Prime Minister Bernhard Vogel, as well as a speech he delivered in 2025 for the Holocaust commemoration day. Previously, the Thuringian State Chancellery had admitted that a joint contribution written by Voigt and Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister-President, Sven Schulze, in the publication “Die Welt” had involved AI alterations.
Voigt told the “Tagesspiegel” that while speeches are naturally prepared within the state chancellery, he would not blame anyone if specific passages were indeed created with AI assistance. However, he maintained that, generally, he writes almost all of his speeches himself, declining to comment on the specific addresses cited in the allegations.
Voigt’s deputy, Finance Minister Katja Wolf (BSW), also views the political use of AI as acceptable. In a statement to the “Tagesspiegel”, she said, “AI has now achieved great quality, providing me with very accurate summaries and analyses when I need to find something. It can also give me perfect phrasing assistance.” While Wolf assured the public that she does not use AI for speeches she writes herself, she could not rule out the possibility that her staff might use it. She strongly noted that the technology can simplify administrative procedures and improve official notices. “It would be madness if we did not use these possibilities, and everyone must find a way to manage it.”
