Prince Harry was mocked by Piers Morgan after a technical failure abruptly interrupted the Duke of Sussex’s speech about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
Prince Harry’s speech was cut short (Image: Getty)
Harry was addressing the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting on Wednesday when his teleprompter reportedly failed, forcing him to pause midway through his remarks. For several awkward seconds, he stood silently on stage before eventually saying: “And that’s it.”
The moment quickly drew attention online, with Morgan taking aim at the royal on X.
“Says all you need to know about this virtue-signalling halfwit,” Morgan wrote, adding a series of laughing emojis.
Harry later returned to the stage and made light of the disruption himself.
“Hello again. So AI got into my speech, so I was asked to come out and finish it. Interesting to see what it was so concerned about,” he joked.
Once back at the podium, Harry continued his warning about the potential dangers of AI, particularly its impact on children and their online lives.
Speaking as a father, the Duke urged world leaders not to wait for further evidence of harm before taking action.
“Innovation has never required us to gamble with our children’s lives. We should not accept that bargain now,” he said.
Harry continued: “I come to this as a father — one who has shared countless conversations with other parents as they mourned the loss of their children to recklessly built technology.
“And as a father, I will remind you of the faces that accompanied me the last time I stood before you. Hundreds have become thousands.”
Prince Harry warned about the dangers of AI (Image: Getty)
His speech was delivered against a backdrop of lock-screen photographs showing children who had taken their own lives or suffered serious harm linked to experiences on social media.
Harry argued that the risks posed by AI could be even more personal than those associated with social media.
“It’s the same playbook that built the last crisis — only now the technology is more persuasive, more intimate, and more powerful,” he said.
“And there is another difference this time. Social media learned how to capture our attention. AI is learning how to enter our relationships.”
The Duke went on to warn that AI could become something children turn to for emotional support and personal connection.
“It doesn’t just want your attention, it wants your attachment. It wants to be the thing you confide in.
“The thing that remembers you. The thing that tells you it understands you. The ultimate sycophant. For a child, that distinction matters enormously.”
He added: “We have spent years trying to loosen technology’s grip on children’s attention. We cannot wait another decade to discover what happens when technology has a grip on their relationships.”
The two-day Clinton Global Initiative meeting, hosted by former US President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, brings together leaders to discuss major global challenges.
Harry’s appearance came shortly after the King warned AI executives about what he described as the technology’s “existential dangers.”
Despite the awkward interruption, Harry ultimately managed to complete his message — turning the technical failure itself into an unexpected part of a speech warning about the growing influence of AI.