Marriage canceled because of a speech written by ChatGPT: how artificial intelligence ended up in a Dutch court case
7 January 21:10
A court in the Dutch city of Zwolle annulled a marriage that took place on April 19, 2025, after a speech created with ChatGPT was delivered during the ceremony. This was reported by the country’s public broadcaster NOS, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The reason for the annulment was a violation of the Dutch Civil Code: the speech did not contain the legally required statements about fulfilling the obligations associated with marriage.
How the ceremony took place
The couple asked an acquaintance, who became a registrar for a day, to conduct the wedding. To make the event easier, he used ChatGPT to write the speech.
During the wedding ceremony, questions were asked about love and support for each other, and the couple was declared “a team, a crazy couple, each other’s love, and each other’s home.”
Although the speech was romantic, it did not meet the legal requirements, which stipulate a clear statement of the fulfillment of marital obligations.
The reaction of the court and the couple
The prosecutor’s office received a report about the possible invalidity of the marriage, and the case went to court. The court ruled that the wedding speech did not confirm the legal obligation of the spouses, so the marriage could not be considered valid.
The couple claims that the loss of their wedding date had a huge emotional impact and that they could not have foreseen the mistake. Their request to keep the wedding date was rejected by the court, which emphasized: “The court understands the importance of the date, but cannot ignore the law.”
This case is the first known instance in the Netherlands where the use of artificial intelligence during an official ceremony has led to the annulment of a marriage.
