Councillor used AI to write AI governance proposal without disclosing it
Thomas Quinn used Microsoft Copilot and Google's Gemini to edit his notice of motion about AI governance rules.
Wollongong councillor Thomas Quinn pushed a notice of motion calling for AI workshops and governance rules for elected officials. Thomas Quinn used Microsoft Copilot and Google's Gemini to help shape the grammar and language of the proposal.
AI detection sites flagged up to 92% likelihood that parts were AI-written. Thomas Quinn said the tools edited his work to match council language standards.
They did not generate it from scratch. No AI declaration appears on the motion or its background papers.
Quinn later acknowledged councils may need to require politicians to declare when they use AI. He also raised concerns about AI-generated public submissions that may not represent genuine community views.
- 92 per cent
- Detection likelihood for Quinn's second
- 83 to 100 per cent
- Detection range for two paragraphs
- Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini
- AI tools Quinn used
- 4 different platforms
- Detection websites used by Mercury
Why it mattersCouncils write rules to govern AI use. But AI tools are easy to use without disclosure. This shows how fast the technology moves past the rules meant to control it.
AustraliaWollongong and other Australian councils are now debating whether elected officials must declare their AI use in official documents and submissions.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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