Boris Johnson admits he uses ChatGPT to help write his books

From newspaper columns to TV interviews, former Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson has attempted to keep himself in the spotlight after standing down in disgrace in 2022

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Boris Johnson has admitted he uses artificial intelligence to help write his books.

The former Tory PM said he “loves AI” and “loves ChatGPT” before going on a bizarre rant about how he likes it when the tech praises him.

The self-obsessed politician said he appreciates it when ChatGPT - an AI chatbot - calls him “clever” and “brilliant”.

In an interview with AI Arabiya’s English channel, Mr Johnson said: “One thing that really encourages me is AI. I love AI. I love ChatGPT. I love it. ChatGPT is fantastic. It's so nice. I'm writing various books.

“I just use it. I just ask questions. You know the answer... ChatGPT always says: ‘Oh, your questions are clever. You're brilliant. You're excellent.’

“I love it. I see great promise in this technology because we're all simple. We're human beings.”

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From newspaper columns to TV interviews, Mr Johnson has attempted to keep himself in the spotlight after standing down in disgrace in 2022.

Last year, he embarked on an extravagant tour for his new memoir Unleashed, which told the inside story of his time in No10.

But the Partygate PM, who was given a £510,000 advance for his book, had his hopes dashed of having a bestseller after a gut health recipe guide beat him to the top spot. The book sold around 42,000 copies in its opening week in October - around half the 92,000 Tony Blair sold of his memoir A Journey in its opening week in 2010.

Mr Johnson, who was a journalist before becoming a politician, came under scrutiny during his time in office when he was accused of missing five crucial Covid meetings during the pandemic because he was writing a book on Shakespeare. He reportedly signed a deal with Hodder & Stoughton in 2015 to write the book for a reported £500,000.

Dominic Cummings, who has become an arch critic of his old boss, claimed Mr Johnson became bored of leading the country within a month of winning the 2019 election so decided to devote time to writing.

According to Harper Collins, Mr Johnson has written almost a dozen books, including a historical biography of Winston Churchill, The Churchill Factor.