European Parliament disables AI features on lawmakers’ tablets over data security concerns
The European Parliament has turned off built-in AI tools on tablets issued to lawmakers after internal assessments found that some features could send data to external cloud services.
The European Parliament has disabled certain artificial intelligence features on tablets provided to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), citing concerns about data security and privacy. The decision was communicated in an internal email to lawmakers, following recommendations from the Parliament’s cybersecurity and data protection teams.
According to the email, some built-in AI tools, such as writing assistants, virtual assistants, and webpage summarisation features, rely on cloud-based processing. This means data from the device could be transmitted to external service providers instead of being processed locally. The Parliament stated that it was still assessing how much data could be shared through these features and decided to disable them until the risks are better understood.
The restriction applies only to built-in AI functions on Parliament-issued tablets. Other applications and standard software tools remain available, although lawmakers were advised to review and limit AI-related settings on their personal devices as well. They were also encouraged to restrict application permissions and avoid exposing sensitive work information to AI tools.
