TL;DR

The European Parliament has disabled AI features on lawmakers’ work devices after its IT department warned it could not guarantee the security of data uploaded to AI companies’ servers. The move reflects growing EU unease about dependence on US technology platforms, particularly given recent US government demands for user data.

AI features disabled over data concerns

The European Parliament’s IT department has ordered AI tools to be switched off across lawmakers’ official devices, according to an internal email seen by Politico. The department said it could not guarantee the security of data uploaded to the servers of companies running AI chatbots and that the full extent of information shared with those firms was “still being assessed.”

“It is considered safer to keep such features disabled,” the email stated.

The concern centres on the fact that data sent to AI services from Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI is processed on US-hosted infrastructure, where it falls under US jurisdiction. That means American authorities can compel these companies to hand over information about their users.

AI chatbots also routinely use uploaded data to improve their models, raising the risk that confidential material shared by one user could surface in responses to others.

Wider EU reassessment of US tech reliance

The decision comes as several EU member states are reassessing their relationships with US technology companies. In recent weeks, the US Department of Homeland Security has sent hundreds of subpoenas demanding tech and social media companies hand over information about people who have criticised Trump administration policies. Google, Meta, and Reddit have reportedly complied in several cases, despite the subpoenas not being court-enforced.

Europe already has some of the strongest data protection rules globally under GDPR, though the European Commission last year proposed relaxing certain provisions to make it easier for tech companies to train AI models on European citizens’ data — a move that drew sharp criticism from privacy advocates.

Looking forward

The ban highlights a tension that organisations across Europe are grappling with: how to benefit from AI productivity tools without exposing sensitive data to foreign jurisdictions. For UK businesses and public bodies, the decision serves as a useful reference point when evaluating their own AI tool policies, particularly around data residency and sovereignty requirements.