Boy George Admits AI Wrote His Controversial Pro-Israel Song

Boy George, the Culture Club frontman known for his 1980s hits, sparked a firestorm on July 26, 2026, by releasing a reggae track called "We Will Dance Again." The song defends Israel's military campaign in Gaza and criticizes musicians who support Palestine. As criticism mounted, the singer admitted the lyrics were written with the help of artificial intelligence, calling it "AI for good."

Boy George, born George Alan O'Dowd, has been one of the most recognizable figures on the British music scene for decades. This time, instead of another pop hit, he offered up a reggae track that speaks directly to one of the most polarizing conflicts in the world today.

What the song says

The lyrics reject describing Israel's military operation in Gaza as genocide, even though UN reports, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch all use that exact word. In one line, Boy George sings about musicians supporting Palestine, calling their criticism "selective memory" and comparing the artists themselves to sheep repeating online propaganda.

The song itself is framed as a tribute to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on the Nova music festival, in which 344 civilians and 34 security personnel were killed and 44 people were taken hostage. For many listeners, that event is the reference point justifying Israel's continued military action; for others, it's a subject that cannot be separated from the scale of destruction in Gaza.

Admitting to AI use

As the wave of outrage grew, Boy George didn't back away from the song's content, instead revealing how it was made. On Threads, he wrote plainly that he wouldn't have been able to write lyrics like these without the help of artificial intelligence.

The song was created using AI. I call it 'AI for good'. Truthfully, I would struggle to write this with a human! - Boy George, singer

The explanation was likely meant to soften the criticism, but in practice it added a new thread to the debate: whether an artist should disclose AI use in lyrics dealing with sensitive political topics, and whether having a language model generate parts of the text changes responsibility for the message.

Backlash

Reaction from the music community was largely negative. Martyn Ware, co-founder of The Human League and a longtime acquaintance of Boy George's, wrote on social media that he couldn't believe his old friend had made an overtly pro-genocide, anti-Palestinian piece of propaganda.

I honestly can't believe that my old friend Boy George has made an overtly pro-genocide, anti-Palestinian piece of musical propaganda... George, you should be ashamed - Martyn Ware, co-founder of The Human League

Boy George responded to the criticism on Threads, defending his right to express an unpopular opinion and stressing that he stands by people close to him whom he considers good and honest, even if many may disagree with him. The song also drew praise from quarters supportive of Israeli policy, underscoring just how polarized the debate over the Gaza war remains.

AI in protest music

Boy George's case is another example of generative AI being used to create content with an explicit political message, following earlier controversies over AI-generated music and video about wars and conflicts. Unlike typical disputes over AI in music, which tend to center on copyright or voice cloning, here the controversy centers on the content of the message itself, with the AI's role in the creative process becoming an added flashpoint rather than the main complaint.

For readers interested in artificial intelligence, the episode shows how quickly generative tools are making their way into culturally and politically charged content, and how few norms exist yet around disclosing that kind of assistance. Boy George called it "AI for good," but commentators note that the label doesn't resolve the question of who bears responsibility for the final message.

The case carries no direct legal or business consequences, but it fits a broader trend of well-known artists turning to language models when writing songs about current events. Whether that practice becomes the norm among artists tackling difficult political subjects remains an open question.