• •Pointer (KRO-NCRV) identified that nearly 75% of public feedback from the Netherlands regarding EU tobacco policy originated from a Philip Morris-linked tool.
• •The analysis confirmed that these submissions used templated, AI-generated language rather than unique citizen input.
• •It remains unclear how the European Commission intends to filter these automated responses or if the policy development process will be formally adjusted as a result.

A recent investigation by Pointer found that approximately 75% of Dutch public feedback regarding tighter EU tobacco regulations was generated using an AI tool provided by Philip Morris. While public consultation platforms are designed to aggregate citizen opinion, this incident mirrors a growing trend where corporations leverage automated advocacy to simulate grassroots support. Despite the prevalence of these bot-driven comments, current EU regulatory frameworks lack clear mechanisms to weight or exclude mass-produced input during policy evaluations. The effectiveness of future public consultations will likely depend on whether regulators implement robust AI detection or mandate identity verification for feedback submissions.