‘And that’s it?’: Prince Harry’s AI speech hits a glitch as teleprompter fails mid-address in New York
Nearly 40 minutes later, he returned to deliver the latter part of his speech, opening with a joke about the interruption.
- Sep 25, 2026,
- Updated Sep 25, 2026 2:00 AM IST
Prince Harry had to pause his speech on artificial intelligence and children’s safety after a teleprompter malfunctioned during his address at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Wednesday, People Magazine reported.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, was speaking about the risks posed by AI and the impact of social media and technology on children when the teleprompter stopped working more than halfway through his remarks.
“We do not have years for what comes next,” Harry said before the screen he was reading from glitched and he went quiet for a moment. He then appeared confused and asked, “And that’s it?”
Harry subsequently walked off the stage.
Nearly 40 minutes later, he returned to deliver the latter part of his speech, opening with a joke about the interruption.
“AI got into my speech, so I was asked to come out and finish it,” he joked.
According to GB News, Harry also added, “Interesting to see what it was so concerned about in part two.”
Harry warns about AI and children
Before the teleprompter failure, Harry spoke about his experience as a father and families he had met through his work on online safety.
“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,” he said.
Harry recalled appearing at the same event two years ago, when he announced The Parents’ Network, an initiative he and Meghan Markle launched through Archewell after meeting families whose children died by suicide or suffered serious harm following their experiences with social media.
“As a father, I will remind you of the faces that accompanied me the last time I stood before you,” Harry said as images of children were displayed behind him. “Hundreds have become thousands. Thousands of parents grieving their children. Millions of families living with the consequences of a digital revolution that moved faster than our willingness to protect them.”
“Social media learned how to capture our attention. AI is learning how to enter our relationships,” Harry said. “It doesn’t just want your attention; it wants your attachment.”
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.”
Must Read: SC flags Gurugram’s infrastructure after rains, says Greater Noida planned for 30-40 years
Harry highlights US action
Harry called for greater transparency, standards and accountability in the development of new technology.
“The good news: we proved pressure works,” Harry continued. “The bad news: we proved how long we are willing to wait.”
He also warned that “technology and the humans in charge of it are going to promise us the world” and that “they must be accountable for the world they actually deliver.”
At the beginning of August, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay nearly $1 billion to address harm done to young people and their mental health from its platforms.
“Some of the clearest acknowledgements yet that the harm is real and accountability is possible,” he said, per GB News.
Prince Harry had to pause his speech on artificial intelligence and children’s safety after a teleprompter malfunctioned during his address at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Wednesday, People Magazine reported.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, was speaking about the risks posed by AI and the impact of social media and technology on children when the teleprompter stopped working more than halfway through his remarks.
“We do not have years for what comes next,” Harry said before the screen he was reading from glitched and he went quiet for a moment. He then appeared confused and asked, “And that’s it?”
Harry subsequently walked off the stage.
Nearly 40 minutes later, he returned to deliver the latter part of his speech, opening with a joke about the interruption.
“AI got into my speech, so I was asked to come out and finish it,” he joked.
According to GB News, Harry also added, “Interesting to see what it was so concerned about in part two.”
Harry warns about AI and children
Before the teleprompter failure, Harry spoke about his experience as a father and families he had met through his work on online safety.
“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,” he said.
Harry recalled appearing at the same event two years ago, when he announced The Parents’ Network, an initiative he and Meghan Markle launched through Archewell after meeting families whose children died by suicide or suffered serious harm following their experiences with social media.
“As a father, I will remind you of the faces that accompanied me the last time I stood before you,” Harry said as images of children were displayed behind him. “Hundreds have become thousands. Thousands of parents grieving their children. Millions of families living with the consequences of a digital revolution that moved faster than our willingness to protect them.”
“Social media learned how to capture our attention. AI is learning how to enter our relationships,” Harry said. “It doesn’t just want your attention; it wants your attachment.”
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.”
Must Read: SC flags Gurugram’s infrastructure after rains, says Greater Noida planned for 30-40 years
Harry highlights US action
Harry called for greater transparency, standards and accountability in the development of new technology.
“The good news: we proved pressure works,” Harry continued. “The bad news: we proved how long we are willing to wait.”
He also warned that “technology and the humans in charge of it are going to promise us the world” and that “they must be accountable for the world they actually deliver.”
At the beginning of August, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay nearly $1 billion to address harm done to young people and their mental health from its platforms.
“Some of the clearest acknowledgements yet that the harm is real and accountability is possible,” he said, per GB News.