Report: Digital Minister Wildberger Apparently Had Several Speeches and Texts Drafted with AI

A spokesperson for the Digital Ministry confirmed to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that Wildberger uses AI as a working tool. However, responsibility always lies with the human. Someone has to review, change, and decide. "Bevor etwas in eine Rede übernommen wird, muss ein Mensch prüfen, ändern und entscheiden," the spokesperson stated.

At the same time, the ministry acknowledged that it had not separately informed the newspapers about the use of AI. "Eine gesonderte Offenlegung gegenüber den Redaktionen erfolgte nicht – weil Minister Wildberger KI als unterstützendes Arbeitsmittel betrachtet, über dessen Nutzung man nicht anders Rechenschaft ablegt als über Textverarbeitung, Recherche-Tools oder redaktionelle Unterstützung," the spokesperson said.

Ministry's Response

The ministry emphasized that AI can "als Sparringspartner eingesetzt werden: um Gedanken zu ordnen, alternative Formulierungen zu prüfen, Kürzungen vorzuschlagen oder die Struktur zu schärfen." Every speech begins with a preliminary discussion with the minister on structure, impact, and key messages; only then does the speechwriting team develop the content, argumentation, and structure. Separate review and validation by humans is intended to rule out errors and so-called hallucinations.

Nevertheless, Die Zeit points out that Wildberger repeatedly uses linguistic constructions typical of AI-generated texts. The report highlights that the guest contributions in the Handelsblatt and in the FAS were neither authored by the minister himself nor by his staff, but were created by AI systems such as ChatGPT or similar applications.

Debate on AI in Politics

This case is not the first within the CDU. Recently, Thuringia's Minister-President Mario Voigt (CDU) came under criticism after several of his speeches and guest contributions — including a speech on Holocaust Remembrance Day, a memorial address, and a New Year's address — were apparently also produced with AI assistance. The FAZ subsequently deleted a guest contribution by Voigt, which triggered a broad debate about the use of AI in political speeches.

According to the ministry, Wildberger himself was convinced "dass Deutschland den produktiven und zugleich maßvollen Umgang mit KI schnell lernen muss. Das gilt für die Wirtschaft, die Verwaltung und auch für die Politik." The minister thus views the use as a deliberate signal for the productive handling of the new technology.

Political Reactions and Outlook

The opposition and parts of the media landscape view the matter critically: they accuse Wildberger of undermining the credibility of political communication through his undisclosed use of AI and of not being transparent with the editorial offices that had entrusted him with guest contributions. It remains unclear whether and how the Bundestag or the newspapers themselves will respond to the revelation.

The report was picked up on June 13, 2026, among others, by Deutschlandfunk. It comes at a time when the Bundestag and the federal government are deliberating on binding rules for the use of artificial intelligence in political communication. Observers see the case as a litmus test for how seriously politicians take their own announced commitment to making AI use transparent.