Two Dutch broadcasters accused tobacco giant Philip Morris International of orchestrating an artificial intelligence campaign to flood the European Commission's public consultation on stricter tobacco rules with 35 per cent AI-generated responses across 15 EU countries. Philip Morris defended the 'Your Voice, Your Choice' platform as a tool that gave users full control to edit submissions, but regulators and anti-smoking groups view it as an attempt to manipulate a democratic process ahead of new EU tobacco legislation.
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Dutch broadcasters Pointer KRO-NCRV and NOS reported that Philip Morris International used its 'Your Voice, Your Choice' platform to direct users to a tool offering around 50 pre-defined responses opposing stricter tobacco regulations. AI detection analysis of over 65,000 responses from 15 EU countries found that 35 per cent were generated by AI, with 71 per cent of the 786 Dutch responses being almost certainly AI-generated.
Why it matters
Over 80,000 responses were submitted to the European Commission's public consultation on revising tobacco legislation. The high volume of AI-assisted submissions raises concerns about the integrity of EU democratic consultations, which normally receive fewer than one thousand responses. Philip Morris stated users retained full control to edit responses, but critics, including France's National Committee Against Smoking, characterize the campaign as industry manipulation.
What to watch
The European Union is revising the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Advertising Directive to tighten rules on e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco. How the Commission weighs the AI-generated responses against substantive regulatory feedback will signal whether public consultations remain credible democratic instruments.
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