Lesotho’s Finance Minister Retselisitsoe Matlanyane has denied claims that artificial intelligence (AI) was used to write a part of her budget speech she delivered to parliament earlier this week. 

The minister said a paragraph claimed to have been AI-generated did not exist in the actual speech she read in parliament. 

“The official document is here, it does not have this paragraph 108,” she told a post-budget speech event on Thursday. 

A former economics lecturer, she was appointed as finance minister in 2022 following a nine-year tenure as governor of the Central Bank of Lesotho - the first woman to hold the position.

She acknowledged that claims over the paragraph in her speech were first raised by her own staff. The claims later gained traction on social media.

“In parliament, a minister in the Prime Minister's office sitting next to me gives me a note that says "your staff say they see a line in paragraph 108 that is strange”. I look at it, my paragraph 108 doesn't say that rubbish,” she added. 

‘Used constructively’

The minister nevertheless said AI was a permanent feature of the modern world which should be embraced and used constructively for national development, the Lesotho news agency reports. 

“Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. What is important is how we choose to use it. It should complement human effort, not replace critical thinking and ethical responsibility,” she said.

She encouraged encouraged citizens to approach AI with an open mind, viewing it as a tool that, if used wisely, can contribute positively to the country’s socio-economic transformation. 

The minister urged stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to collaborate in harnessing AI to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in service delivery.