AI features are on hold for now, until we have a clearer understanding of what they do with data.
Members of the European Parliament recently received an internal email on this matter. According to reports, the IT department implemented a partial block. It targets features embedded on mobile devices—tablets and phones—used for professional purposes. On the list are at least virtual assistants, writing and text-synthesis aids, and web page summarizers.
The IT department wants to measure the scale of data transfers
The IT department judged that it could not guarantee data security, noting that some of these AI features rely on cloud services. It deemed it wiser to disable them while the extent of the transfers is clarified.
Third-party applications do not appear to be affected. Nor, for that matter, do email, the calendar, and the other everyday tools.
Recipients of the email are urged to apply similar precautions on their personal devices, especially those used for work. Among the guidelines: remain vigilant about third-party AI apps and avoid granting excessive data access permissions.
It should be recalled that in early 2023, the European Parliament banned the use of TikTok. The European Commission and the Council of Europe had done the same a few weeks earlier.
Further reading:
Digital sovereignty: the EU and its strategic dependencies
The European Commission wants to reduce its dependence on Microsoft
Europe begins scaling up its “AI factories”
10 figures on the deployment of AI at France Travail
Development of AI applications: a sectoral demand that remains unmet for now
