British News Agency

In an email sent to members on Monday, it was stated that the “built-in artificial intelligence features” on corporate tablets were disabled after the IT department concluded that it could not guarantee the security of the tools’ data.

In the message, the Parliament’s e-MEP technical support desk said: “Some of these features use cloud services to perform tasks that could be processed locally and send data outside the device.” It added: “As these features continue to evolve and become available on more devices, the full scope of data shared with service providers is still being assessed. Until this is fully clarified, it is considered safer to disable such features.”

The European Union has strengthened its data security policies in recent years due to concerns about foreign technology suppliers. In November, a group of members called on Parliament to abandon the internal use of Microsoft software in favor of a European alternative. The institution also banned the use of the social media app TikTok on staff devices in 2023 and advised members to remove the app from their phones.

An EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity to explain the details of the security policy, said that the latest move to disable AI tools concerns features such as built-in writing and summarization assistants on tablets and phones, advanced virtual assistants, and web page summaries.

The email sent to members stated that applications, email, calendar, documents, and other daily tools are not affected.

The European Parliament’s press service said it “continuously monitors cybersecurity threats and rapidly takes the necessary measures to prevent them,” but declined to comment on specific security or cybersecurity issues due to their “sensitive nature.”

The Parliament refrained from specifying which built-in AI features were disabled or which systems the work devices operate on.

The email also urged members to “consider applying similar measures” to their personal devices, especially those used for work-related tasks.