Social media users accuse Air India CEO of 'plagiarism' in condolence message
Social media users accuse Wilson of plagiarising American Airlines CEO Robert Isom's speech in his condolence video message after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad
Even as family members of the victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad are grappling with the sorrow of losing their loved ones, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has come under flak.
Social media users have criticised the airline's CEO, accusing Wilson of plagiarising American Airlines CEO Robert Isom's speech when he had delivered his condolence video message, after the London-bound Air India aircraft crashed 32 seconds after take off in Ahmedabad.
His message was given two days after the tragedy, which killed 241 people on board, including 10 cabin crew members and two pilots. They were all charred to death.
Similar sentences
Users have highlighted many similar sentences in the two speeches. There were lines such as, "This is a difficult day for all of us" and "I know there are many questions and at this early stage, I'll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share information I have at this time".
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Wilson also used sentences such as “we understand and appreciate that people are eager for information” or "we are working around the clock", which were found in Ipsom's speech. "I know that at this stage there are many questions and at this stage, I will not be able to answer all of them," was another one.
The American Airlines CEO Isom’s message was given in response to a January 30 mid-air collision near Washington DC, where a commercial jet collided with a military helicopter, killing 67 people.
AI at work or SOPs?
Industrialist Harsh Goenka too seemed to concur with social media users on this accusation calling it a "good perspective".
Also read: Ahmedabad crash: No flaws found in Air India's 12 Boeing aircraft so far, says minister
However, some users pointed out that the two CEOs could be using the same consultants or Artificial Intelligence (AI), while others called it as "plagiarism". It could also be part of the airline's standard message delivered during tragedies.
"The SOPs in such situations is common, and if standard procedures are common, using similar/same verbatim to express thoughts is common too. There could and must be multiple things to criticise Air India but this, in my opinion, is far fetched," a X user said.