Philip Morris used AI to generate public opposition to EU rules - DutchNews.nl

Tobacco giant Philip Morris utilized artificial intelligence to generate hundreds of fraudulent citizen responses aimed at opposing stricter European Union regulations on vaping and tobacco products. The campaign targeted a public consultation process by the European Commission, which is currently preparing its most significant tightening of tobacco rules in over a decade.

What happened

The initiative, branded with the slogan “Your Voice Your Choice,” involved placing posters with QR codes in tobacco shops. These codes directed users to a digital tool that facilitated the submission of comments to the Commission. An investigation by broadcaster NOS and the platform Pointer analyzed 65,000 responses from 15 countries using the AI-detection tool Pangram. The analysis revealed that approximately 30% of the responses appeared to be AI-generated, with the Netherlands showing a particularly high rate of 71%.

Experts characterized the campaign as a modern, digital evolution of traditional lobbying tactics designed to manufacture the appearance of grassroots support. While Philip Morris maintained that they used standard AI settings to improve text readability and described the campaign as a legitimate democratic contribution, the European Commission expressed significant concern, stating it would account for the AI influence when evaluating the consultation results. The industry's actions drew sharp criticism from Dutch political leaders, who accused the firm of cheating and attempting to hijack democratic processes. Furthermore, a group of Dutch lung specialists filed a complaint with the advertising standards body, alleging that the campaign misled the public and violated existing bans on tobacco advertising by providing tools only to those opposing regulation.