Kate Rice ✍ The advance of modern technology is undoubtedly something to be celebrated. Scientific and medical advances allow doctors to diagnose disease, detect injuries and develop life-saving treatments.
These are innovations that have transformed our lives, and we’re far better off than our ancestors were for it. So why has the rise of generative AI become such a divisive issue?
Beyond its well-documented environmental impact through the immense resources required to power and cool data centres, generative AI also raises political, ethical and cultural questions. This is particularly relevant when considering its growing use by businesses and organisations in the North of Ireland.
Venues such as Felons, PD and the Rock Bar are longstanding institutions within West Belfast's Republican community, and alongside preserving Republican history and culture, they have consistently expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people. But I was a bit disturbed to find out from a friend living in West Belfast that all three have recently used generative AI to create promotional posters and flyers and for many, this presents a potential contradiction.
The most widely used generative AI platforms, including ChatGPT and Google Gemini, are developed by companies whose technologies have become intertwined with the Israeli state. Investigations by the Associated Press found that advanced OpenAI models, accessed through Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service, have been used by the Israeli military to process, translate and analyse intelligence data. Internal documents also showed a dramatic increase in Microsoft's AI services being used by Israel following the attacks of 7 October 2023. OpenAI has also amended its usage policies to permit certain national security applications, when previously it prohibited military applications.
Google has faced similar scrutiny, like in 2021 when Google and Amazon signed Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government to provide cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Google maintains that the contract supports civilian government services rather than military operations. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) reports that, during 2024, Google processed additional requests from the Israeli military for access to Gemini AI technologies. Google itself disputes this characterisation of its work, maintaining that Project Nimbus is meant to support civilian government services.
The AFSC also notes that Google dismissed more than fifty employees who protested the company's work relating to Israel and Palestine, and that Alphabet later removed its previous commitment not to develop AI for weapons or surveillance applications as mentioned above.
Questions surrounding AI are not limited to military partnerships, but to the general content we are exposed to online. This year, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs contracted Havas Media Network, which in turn signed a $6 million agreement with the American company Clock Tower X LLC to coordinate a large-scale digital communications campaign. According to reporting by Responsible Statecraft and Snopes, the campaign's stated purpose is to combat antisemitism online. The campaign has also been described as an effort to expand Israel's digital public diplomacy by distributing content across platforms popular with younger audiences, such as TikTok.
Even though this agreement was not made directly with OpenAI, it’s still a worrying concern of potential organised efforts to shape the online information environment, that may influence the material that AI systems and search tools draw upon, and that search engines show to us. The extent of that influence is difficult to measure, but to me it raises some pretty legitimate questions about how political narratives are reflected in AI generated responses.
There is also the question of creativity itself. Generative AI cannot create independently, it only produces content by learning patterns from vast collections of writing, artwork and other media created by human artists. Many artists, writers and musicians argue that these systems rely upon their work without consent, credit or compensation. As AI-generated content becomes cheaper than commissioning human creators, concerns about the future of creative professions continue to grow. Within the Republican community, this raises another uncomfortable question. Ireland's history is one of protecting language, literature, music and artistic expression against centuries of suppression. Organisations and community centres with a basis in Republican values have consistently promoted Irish culture and the importance of preserving it. Is embracing generative AI technology, something that many artists believe undermines human creativity consistent with those values?
If solidarity with Palestine remains a core principle within many Republican spaces, it is reasonable to question whether relying on technologies developed by companies whose products have become integrated into Israeli government and military infrastructure reflects that commitment.
Another difficulty with AI usage in our era is that it’s not always clear which apps and websites use these particular AI models. These include services like Canva and Meta.
Ultimately, the debate surrounding AI is not simply about convenience or innovation. It is about culture, ethics and the values we choose to support. If you asked my personal opinion, I think I would rather celebrate the intelligence of people working to preserve Irish and Palestinian culture than rely on systems whose outputs are shaped by vast datasets and the priorities of the companies that build them.
Sources
Beyond its well-documented environmental impact through the immense resources required to power and cool data centres, generative AI also raises political, ethical and cultural questions. This is particularly relevant when considering its growing use by businesses and organisations in the North of Ireland.
Venues such as Felons, PD and the Rock Bar are longstanding institutions within West Belfast's Republican community, and alongside preserving Republican history and culture, they have consistently expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people. But I was a bit disturbed to find out from a friend living in West Belfast that all three have recently used generative AI to create promotional posters and flyers and for many, this presents a potential contradiction.
The most widely used generative AI platforms, including ChatGPT and Google Gemini, are developed by companies whose technologies have become intertwined with the Israeli state. Investigations by the Associated Press found that advanced OpenAI models, accessed through Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service, have been used by the Israeli military to process, translate and analyse intelligence data. Internal documents also showed a dramatic increase in Microsoft's AI services being used by Israel following the attacks of 7 October 2023. OpenAI has also amended its usage policies to permit certain national security applications, when previously it prohibited military applications.
Google has faced similar scrutiny, like in 2021 when Google and Amazon signed Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government to provide cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Google maintains that the contract supports civilian government services rather than military operations. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) reports that, during 2024, Google processed additional requests from the Israeli military for access to Gemini AI technologies. Google itself disputes this characterisation of its work, maintaining that Project Nimbus is meant to support civilian government services.
The AFSC also notes that Google dismissed more than fifty employees who protested the company's work relating to Israel and Palestine, and that Alphabet later removed its previous commitment not to develop AI for weapons or surveillance applications as mentioned above.
Questions surrounding AI are not limited to military partnerships, but to the general content we are exposed to online. This year, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs contracted Havas Media Network, which in turn signed a $6 million agreement with the American company Clock Tower X LLC to coordinate a large-scale digital communications campaign. According to reporting by Responsible Statecraft and Snopes, the campaign's stated purpose is to combat antisemitism online. The campaign has also been described as an effort to expand Israel's digital public diplomacy by distributing content across platforms popular with younger audiences, such as TikTok.
Even though this agreement was not made directly with OpenAI, it’s still a worrying concern of potential organised efforts to shape the online information environment, that may influence the material that AI systems and search tools draw upon, and that search engines show to us. The extent of that influence is difficult to measure, but to me it raises some pretty legitimate questions about how political narratives are reflected in AI generated responses.
There is also the question of creativity itself. Generative AI cannot create independently, it only produces content by learning patterns from vast collections of writing, artwork and other media created by human artists. Many artists, writers and musicians argue that these systems rely upon their work without consent, credit or compensation. As AI-generated content becomes cheaper than commissioning human creators, concerns about the future of creative professions continue to grow. Within the Republican community, this raises another uncomfortable question. Ireland's history is one of protecting language, literature, music and artistic expression against centuries of suppression. Organisations and community centres with a basis in Republican values have consistently promoted Irish culture and the importance of preserving it. Is embracing generative AI technology, something that many artists believe undermines human creativity consistent with those values?
If solidarity with Palestine remains a core principle within many Republican spaces, it is reasonable to question whether relying on technologies developed by companies whose products have become integrated into Israeli government and military infrastructure reflects that commitment.
Another difficulty with AI usage in our era is that it’s not always clear which apps and websites use these particular AI models. These include services like Canva and Meta.
Ultimately, the debate surrounding AI is not simply about convenience or innovation. It is about culture, ethics and the values we choose to support. If you asked my personal opinion, I think I would rather celebrate the intelligence of people working to preserve Irish and Palestinian culture than rely on systems whose outputs are shaped by vast datasets and the priorities of the companies that build them.
Sources
As Israel uses U.S.-made AI models in war, concerns arise about tech’s role in who lives and who dies
⏩Kate Rice is a peace baby.
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