EU watchdog probes Commission’s AI pick over conflict of interest concerns
Jim Hagemann Snabe was named AI envoy in June, but the choice has proved controversial.
The European Commission's appointment of Siemens chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe as the European Union's AI envoy has sparked a probe by the EU's watchdog over potential conflicts of interest. NGOs, including Transparency International and Corporate Europe Observatory, raised concerns in June when they complained to the European Ombudsman about Snabe's ongoing role at Siemens.
His responsibilities include producing a report on AI infrastructure, frontier AI technologies, and industrial AI adoption. The NGOs argue that Snabe's continued association with Siemens could compromise the envoy's independence and impartiality. In September, the Ombudsman launched an investigation into the Commission's failure to respond to the NGO concerns.
Now, the Ombudsman has opened an inquiry, requesting the Commission to revoke Snabe's appointment and inspect relevant documents. Corporate Europe Observatory researcher Bram Vranken stated that Snabe's direct financial interests in the data centre build-out and efforts to water down AI rules make it impossible for him to navigate potential conflicts of interest.
Snabe's appointment, which ended in March 2027, was criticized due to Siemens' lobbying efforts to exempt products from the EU's flagship AI law. The Commission has defended Snabe's appointment, stating that his report will be publicly available and subject to public scrutiny. However, the Commission denied requests for documents related to Snabe's appointment, citing reasons unrelated to the ongoing investigation.
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