European Commission under scrutiny for alleged AI use in responses to MEPs

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has raised concerns over whether the European Commission is using artificial intelligence to draft responses to lawmakers' queries, according to two officials from the Parliament who spoke to POLITICO.

The issue was discussed during a closed-door meeting of political leaders, following a complaint from Renew Group Chair Valérie Hayer about the slow and subpar quality of written answers provided by the Commission.

POLITICO has reviewed notes from the meeting, which took place during a recent Conference of Presidents gathering. While the Commission has a legal obligation to respond to parliamentary questions, it is not bound by specific deadlines or quality standards.

Some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have long criticized the Commission for neglecting or disregarding their institution. Some have even suggested that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "hates" the Parliament, pointing to an ongoing power imbalance that favors the EU's executive arm.

During the meeting, Metsola committed to compiling examples of inadequate responses to submit to the Commission. According to the two officials, a majority of group leaders supported raising the issue. Both sources requested anonymity to discuss the confidential meeting.

Metsola's spokesperson declined to comment on specific discussions but acknowledged broader concerns. "What I can say more generally is that the quality of replies to written questions and the timeliness of the replies have been longstanding issues," the spokesperson stated.

In recent months, the Commission has encouraged internal AI use to enhance efficiency. Senior officials, including heads of unit and directors general, utilize a proprietary large language model known as GPT@EC — a secure, internal version of ChatGPT — for various tasks, including internal briefings, according to an EU official who spoke anonymously about the matter.

A Commission spokesperson, when asked about AI's role in responding to parliamentary questions, clarified its usage. "AI is currently being tested, for instance, for the correct attribution of questions among Commission services or the identification of precedent replies that could be relevant to a specific case," the spokesperson said.

However, the Commission maintains that staff are prohibited from "replicating the output of a generative AI model in public documents, such as the creation of Commission texts, notably legally binding ones."

AI tools currently support approximately 30,000 Commission staff and contract employees in drafting, summarizing documents, brainstorming ideas, and generating software code, according to an official statement last October.

Metsola is set to raise the matter directly with Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who oversees inter-institutional relations, her spokesperson confirmed.

By Tamilla Hasanova