Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, the Crossbench peer and disability-rights campaigner, is to address the House of Lords on Tuesday using an artificial-intelligence-generated version of her own voice — the first time such technology will have delivered a speech in the UK Parliament.
The peer will speak during the Second Reading debate on the Health Bill. Her disability has progressively affected her ability to speak, and the AI reproduction will allow her to deliver words she has written herself directly to the Chamber.
The change has been approved by the Lords Procedure Committee. It extends a precedent set in 2012, when the committee permitted Baroness Campbell’s personal assistant to enter the Chamber and read speeches on her behalf when necessary — an exception to rules that generally bar non-members from the floor.
Officials and campaigners are expected to view the move as more than a technical novelty. It signals a further adjustment of centuries-old parliamentary procedure to remove barriers facing disabled members, while preserving their ability to scrutinise legislation and hold ministers to account.
Baroness Campbell emphasised that the technology would not dilute her authorship. “It’s my voice, my style, my words,” she said. She argued that the Lords had proved unexpectedly adaptable in accommodating members’ needs.
“Sometimes the House of Lords is viewed as out of date; stuffed with old-fashioned traditionalists,” she said. “That is not my experience. In many ways it has been the most responsive, and inclusive environment I have ever had the privilege to work in.”
She added: “It may be an old building, but the people in it have a can-do attitude when it comes to facilitating members’ contributions to its work. Attitude is everything.”
The intervention comes as legislatures worldwide confront the implications of generative AI, including questions of authenticity, consent and procedural integrity. In this case, the technology is being used to reproduce a member’s own speech rather than to generate content independently — a distinction likely to frame future parliamentary debate on the acceptable limits of AI in formal proceedings.
For disability-rights advocates, the decision may carry broader significance. It suggests that accessibility can be treated as a matter of institutional design rather than individual exception, enabling experienced legislators to remain full participants as their circumstances change.
The Lords has previously adapted its practices for members with disabilities, including allowing remote participation and assistance in the Chamber. Tuesday’s speech will test whether AI voice technology can become a routine accessibility tool without undermining the personal accountability expected of parliamentarians.