SEOUL — Gemini, the generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by Google, has landed at the center of South Korean politics in recent days, as President Lee Jae Myung and opposition politicians alike have turned to the tool to defend their positions in a dispute over whether the heads of investigative bodies should attend Cabinet meetings.

What began as a disagreement over investigative independence has evolved into a political contest fought over AI-generated responses, with high-profile opposition lawmakers citing Gemini on issues ranging from Cabinet attendance to whether Lee's suspended criminal trials should resume.

The AI clash began when Lee posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday under the heading, "I asked Gemini," sharing the AI assistant's answers to reject criticism of his decision to have the heads of the newly launched Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecution Service attend Cabinet meetings.

The episode offers a window into how generative AI is being absorbed into political messaging. Chatbots like Gemini do not rule on legal questions; they generate text from patterns learned from large volumes of data, and their answers can vary depending on how a question is phrased. Google itself cautions users that Gemini can make mistakes. Yet within days, the same assistant was being invoked as an authority by a sitting president and by rival lawmakers alike, on matters stretching from procedure to criminal proceedings.

His post came after SCIA's inaugural chief, Kim Ji-yong, took part in Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, presided over by Lee. The opposition bloc criticized Kim's attendance, saying it would undermine the investigative body's political neutrality and independence, since the agency could probe cases involving the president, the ruling party or government officials. It had previously been customary for chiefs of investigative organizations not to attend Cabinet meetings, but Lee has called for their attendance since January.

According to Gemini's response to Lee's questions, the claim that the heads of the SCIA and the Prosecution Service should not attend Cabinet meetings contradicts the Government Organization Act, which places the agencies under the president's authority.

Lee's post drew criticism from the opposition, which argued that AI responses cannot serve as the basis for governing or justifying state affairs.

Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said that he had also asked Gemini whether the attendance could undermine confidence in investigative neutrality, and that the AI warned the participation could create perceptions of compromised independence. Kim said that Lee should stop using Gemini to present "his unfounded claims as if they were true."

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the PPP told a parliamentary audit that he had also consulted Gemini about the SCIA chief's participation. "It answered that regular attendance was inappropriate," Yoon said.

Fellow PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won shared a response warning that presidential supervision could threaten investigative neutrality, accusing Lee of obtaining "a biased answer through a biased question."

Rep. Lee Jun-seok, the former leader of the minor opposition Reform Party, questioned the president's judgment in invoking AI to justify his decision. "If the president is going to govern by asking Gemini, why not just replace the president with Gemini?" he wrote on Facebook.

The exchange soon widened beyond the Cabinet attendance question. Some others presented Gemini's answers to attack Lee over his trials on corruption allegations, which have been halted since his inauguration as president.

"I asked Gemini about the president's trials, and it told me, 'Of course they should resume,'" PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said.

Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, now an independent lawmaker, said that "even if you brought in Gemini's grandfather," the president must not direct investigations or indictments. He also shared an answer saying Lee would ultimately have to stand trial, joining Jang in challenging the president over his legal cases.

The president defended his use of Gemini on Thursday, saying he had cited it to show how the criticism contradicted basic logic and facts, rather than because he lacked the answer. He argued that excluding agency chiefs from public meetings would not ensure neutrality.

"Supervising state affairs is the president's right and duty. Abandoning the right and duty constitutes a violation of the Constitution and Government Organization Act," Lee said.

Cheong Wa Dae also rejected claims that Lee was relying on AI to govern. Senior presidential secretary for public relations Sung Ki-hong told reporters on Thursday that such characterizations distorted the facts.

"He emphasized that the Constitution and Government Organization Act are facts that can be verified easily by asking Gemini," Sung said. "He was not asking AI about how to govern; he only checked facts on laws with the AI."

For all the volleys, the underlying disputes remain where they started: Lee has pressed for investigative chiefs' attendance at Cabinet meetings since January, and the challenge to his halted trials — pressed by PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok and former justice minister Han Dong-hoon — stands. What the exchange has already shown is that chatbot answers have become a new form of political shorthand in Seoul, one that the presidential office and its critics are alike now willing to quote.