Because nothing screams ‘strategic autonomy’ like a bureaucratic middle finger to democratic oversight written by a foreign AI model.
Recently, the European Commission positioned itself as the new bastion of self-reliance and sovereign decision-making.
In a move so dripping with irony it could lubricate the clogged gears of Brussels’ bureaucracy, the Commission has reportedly deployed a ChatGPT based model (remember, a U.S.-based AI), to automate responses to the European Parliament’s pesky democratic inquiries.
According to a recent Politico article, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has raised concerns that the Commission might be employing AI, possibly ChatGPT, to craft its responses to lawmakers’ questions.
Metsola must be thrilled to learn that her institution’s role as a “disturbing” check on power is now being streamlined by the very tech giants Europe loves to regulate into oblivion.
Why bother with tedious human debate when an American algorithm can generate robotic replies faster than you can say “EU GDPR violation”?
The Commission’s embrace of ChatGPT to handle parliamentary questions is a masterclass in efficiency—if by “efficiency” you mean bypassing accountability with a tool that’s about as European as a McDonald’s in Paris.
The Parliament, once a forum for actual deliberation, is now reduced to receiving AI-generated pablum, presumably vetted by a committee of talented interns and a single overworked DG COMM official.
This development is particularly timely, given the broader context of transatlantic tech tensions.
The U.S. has labelled European technology regulations as trade barriers that disproportionately affect American companies.
In response, the EU is preparing to wage a high-stakes trade war against the U.S., targeting the “tech bros” who bankrolled Donald Trump’s return to power. The Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) — Brussels’ “trade bazooka” — could suspend IP rights, slash licensing fees, and generally make life miserable for Silicon Valley’s finest.
It would be the ultimate irony—a true masterclass—if these fiercely anti-U.S. tech regulations were themselves drafted by ChatGPT.
The hypocrisy is delicious.
On one hand, the EU threatens to kneecap U.S. tech firms for “unfair practices”; on the other, it relies on their software to neuter its own democratic processes.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, no stranger to EU regulatory tantrums, must be cackling into his VR headset.
Or maybe is thinking about sending some free samples to the Commission and everything will be fine.
“Europe has an ever-increasing number of laws institutionalizing censorship,” he complained earlier this year. Little did he know the Commission would take his critique as a challenge—automating democracy’s paperwork with the same Silicon Valley tools it loves to demonize.
Let’s be real: Europe’s quest for independence from U.S. tech dominance is about as credible as a Trump promise to “drain the swamp.”
The Commission’s ChatGPT gambit exposes the uncomfortable truth — Brussels can’t even “pretend” this moment to govern without leaning on American infrastructure. While von der Leyen waxes poetic about “European sovereignty,” her administration is outsourcing democracy’s grunt work to a Californian chatbot.
And let’s not forget the pièce de résistance: This is the same institution that – rightly – made these tech giants grovel in antitrust hearings, (justifiably) slapped Apple with a bill, (correctly) lectured Google on monopoly abuse, and (not unreasonably) fretted over TikTok’s data practices like a guardian of digital privacy.
Yet when it comes to handling its own homework? Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V from OpenAI.
So here we are. The European Commission – a group of non elected bureaucrats, ever the champion of “digital sovereignty,” and supporter of democratic values is using U.S. AI to sideline its own elected representatives — all while preparing to tax, fine, and retaliate against the very industry keeping its bureaucratic wheels turning.
If this isn’t the perfect metaphor for Europe’s schizophrenic relationship with American tech, nothing is.
One can only admire the Commission’s dedication to efficiency. By potentially automating their interactions with the Parliament, they’ve freed up valuable time to focus on more pressing matters—like drafting statements about the importance of European digital sovereignty.
Perhaps the Commission’s next AI project should be a mirror.
One that reflects, in real-time, the sheer absurdity of its position.
Until then, enjoy the robotic replies, citoyens. Democracy 2.0 is here— and it’s powered by Silicon Valley.
Apologies to Roberta Metsola, who probably didn’t sign up for this farce when they became “besties” with Ursula von der Leyen.
