It’s time for the first AI member of the European Parliament

Politico Europe · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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News Politics The machines are rising in other parliaments, so surely an AI MEP is next on the list. There’s already been an AI minister for public procurement in Albania, while an AI bot called Gaitana is on the ballot in an upcoming election in Colombia. | Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images Declassified February 27, 2026 4:00 am CET Welcome to Declassified, a weekly humor column. You can do pretty much anything in the European Parliament: wear a dog muzzle, release a dove, or actually do some work during constituency weeks. So betting is almost certainly allowed on the Parliament premises, which is good news as it’s time to take bets on … when we will see the first AI-powered EU lawmaker (and feel free to make your own ‘there’s no intelligence in the Parliament’ joke). Speaking of what you can do in the Parliament, on Thursday evening a rave was held on the premises hosted by MEP Lukas Sieper, who recently announced that he was joining the liberal Renew Europe group (once his national party approves the move). The far right were not invited! Declassified wasn’t invited for a different reason, being too cool (are you sure about this? — ed) and so can’t provide updates on what a liberal rave looks like, but presumably it involves playing music at a reasonable volume, ends at 9.30 p.m., and features a lot of Moby. It wasn’t Sieper’s first on-site rave, although in the past booze was provided and the current invitation said you had to bring your own alcohol (a sign the cost-of-living crisis has reached the hallowed halls of the Parliament). But back to betting. The next EU election will be held in 2029, and my €10 is on AI candidates being on the ballot then (although the Parliament has spent roughly a century debating the introduction of transnational lists — in which MEPs represent the entire EU rather than one country or region — and nothing has happened). The EU risks falling behind. There’s already been an AI minister for public procurement in Albania, while an AI bot called Gaitana is on the ballot in an upcoming election in Colombia. Think of the benefits to the EU! It would save taxpayers a fortune on expense payments and Strasbourg hotel bills; you could guarantee attendance, even for the dullest of debates (unless the Wi-Fi goes down); and you could just mute your political opponents (is this a good thing? — democracy ed). If it’s not to be an MEP, then how about an AI commissioner? Ursula von der Leyen has been trying to remove dissenting voices from her top team, so perhaps the next step is to replace as many of them as possible with a tech alternative. People have been asking for years if the EU can please speak with one voice; well, that’s now within reach (for all that the voice would be a weirdly robotic one). Out of sheer respect for his longevity, any AI commissioner would have to look like Maroš Šefčovič. Speaking of the rise of the machines, researchers in Japan have made a robot monk powered by AI that they say can dispense spiritual advice. These days, whenever I daydream about escaping the Brussels bubble and starting a monastic life, which happens about every 43 seconds, it features babbling brooks and perhaps some chamomile tea. But definitely no robots. CAPTION COMPETITION ” Seems tasty, high-class and a little different from the norm, but can quickly lead to feelings of nausea or even downright illness … and some oysters.” Can you do better? Email us at [email protected] or get in touch on X @POLITICOEurope. Last time, we gave you this photo: Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best one from our mailbag — there’s no prize except the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far preferable to cash or booze. “No Emmanuel, it’s over now, I’m happier with Melania.” by Kylian Vadet