6 days ago
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'.
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'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.
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