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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
MEP Ciarán Mullooly admits using AI for part of letter to Ursula von der Leyen which quoted Swedish House Mafia lyrics
The Midlands-North West MEP said AI was used to summarise 25 pages of research for a letter that called on the EU to deliver more aid to Gaza. He denied that the fictional story of a young girl called 'Gazi', who the letter said lived in Rafah, and the use of lyrics by house music group, Swedish House Mafia, were AI-generated. Will you tell her, 'Don't you worry, don't you worry child, see heaven's got a plan for you'? Will you assure her that Europe remembers its promise? Mr Mullooly said those sections were 'based on' the contents of 1,000 emails sent to him in relation to Gaza, including one which he said quoted the lyrics of Don't You Worry Child. It was first reported by The Journal that the former RTÉ broadcaster had used AI to write part of the letter in which Mr Mullooly said a 12-year-old girl called Gazi and her family had been displaced and asked Ms von der Leyen: 'Will you tell her, 'Don't you worry, don't you worry child, see heaven's got a plan for you'? Will you assure her that Europe remembers its promise, that we will not let another generation of children perish when we have the means to act?' Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime, Mr Mullooly said he asked Ms von der Leyen in a meeting last year 'why the European Commission and the European Parliament and all the agencies had not moved to stop the slaughter and the bloodshed in Gaza'. Mr Mullooly said his team then began researching potential measures that would not require the agreement of member states. 'I had 25 pages of research put in front of me in the parliament about three weeks ago and I said to my colleague, 'I want a summary of this for a letter to (Ms) von der Leyen'. And we used AI at that stage to complete the first part of the letter.' The second half of the letter, which has gotten the most attention today with the Swedish House Mafia reference, in particular, was actually composed by a member of my team He said this section 'looked at four questions', including what actions the European Commission and United Nations could take. 'And I completed that and I used that summary, I read every line of it, I looked at the references and I was quite happy with that. So, the first half of the letter was generated by AI,' he said. 'The second half of the letter, which you have quoted and has gotten the most attention today with the Swedish House Mafia reference, in particular, was actually composed by a member of my team who read 1,000 emails from people sent to my office on the issue of Gaza.' Mr Mullooly said his colleague read and summarised the emails 'in what has been described today, I suppose, as fiction but is actually written based on some of the information given to him by those [emails]'.
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Ciaran Mullooly used AI to write letter to EU on Gaza aid, which quoted Swedish House Mafia
INDEPENDENT IRELAND MEP Ciaran Mullooly has said he used artificial intelligence to write a letter urging the EU to deliver more aid into Gaza. The letter, sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, included an emotional plea by recounting the fictional story of a young girl called Gazi, who lives in Rafah. The same section of the letter, which does not indicate to the reader that the story is fictional, appeals to von der Leyen to help the young girl, who it is claimed has been displaced and is experiencing hunger pains. At one point in the letter, Mullooly quotes the house music group Swedish House Mafia, but the letter does not indicate to the reader that he does so. Including the lyrics from the band's song 'Don't You Worry Child', he writes: 'Will you tell her, 'Don't you worry, don't you worry child, see heaven's got a plan for you'? 'Will you assure her that Europe remembers its promise, that we will not let another generation of children perish when we have the means to act?' A spokesperson for Mullooly confirmed to The Journal that artificial intelligence was used to generate portions of the letter. It was published to his own website and later shared on his social media accounts. The spokesperson said that artificial intelligence was used for researching and editing purposes. They also said that the story of Gazi is a 'fictional representation of all children in Gaza to highlight the fact that children are suffering while the world watches'. Advertisement 'In reference to the song 'Don't you worry Child' this was indeed a reference to the song by Swedish House Mafia,' he added. Mullooly's letter outlines a seven-point plan which he suggests could increase the distribution of aid into Gaza. He tells the Commission President that he is writing 'with profound concern' over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Requests for 'gradual implementation' of aid Mullooly, who is a former RTÉ News Midlands Correspondent, tells the European Commission President that the EU must take immediate action to improve the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Despite pleas for immediate action, however, Mullooly's letter later suggests that the EU conducts a 'graduated implementation' of measures to increase and improve aid distribution chains in the Gaza Strip. Asked about what this meant, a spokesperson for the MEP told The Journal that 'examples of measures that could potentially move the situation along and improve and increase the amount of aid flowing into Gaza' were included in the letter. Measures included increasing funding for aid groups such as UN-backed Palestinian refugee group UNRWA, distributing food through the humanitarian aid organisation World Food Project and providing the World Health Organization with medicines. 'This is a highly complex and devastating situation and MEP Mullooly believes that the Commission has a responsibility to do all that it can, in realistic and practical terms, right now to help save lives,' the spokesman said. Elsewhere in the letter, the MEP claims that inaction on Gaza would impact the EU-Mercosur agreement, a trade deal between European member states and Latin American nations. It's not explicitly explained how this could happen. Mullooly's spokesperson said that the Commission has a 'legal and moral obligation' to uphold humanitarian commitments, adding: 'The Commission has the responsibility to uphold all clauses in its trade agreements, and failure to do so could cast doubt on the upkeep of similar clauses in any future deals including the Mercosur trade agreement.' The Ireland Independent MEP has previously joined Irish colleagues in the European Parliament in recent weeks to demand that von der Leyen takes a stronger approach to Israel's actions in Gaza. Her response to the conflict in the Gaza Strip was cited by Mullooly as one of the reasons why he decided not to support her re-election as Commission President last year. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
