21/05/2025
Written by Neus Vidal
Regulating Artificial Intelligence is one of the most urgent and difficult challenges policymakers face today. Across Europe and the world, governments are struggling to balance rapid technological innovation with ethical, social, legal and economic concerns. As part of this process, authorities are engaging with a wide range of actors, including major technology companies. So, how much influence do these powerful firms wield in shaping AI regulation in Europe?
To find out, my colleague Nasir Muftić and I spent over a year submitting Freedom of Information requests to seven European governments, asking for records of meetings and correspondence with Big Tech companies to discuss AI. The answers we received were minimal disclosures, vague justifications, and in some cases, outright refusals to disclose any information at all. This lack of transparency is extremely problematic because it prevents public accountability, and it risks allowing powerful corporate actors to shape laws that will affect millions of citizens without proper oversight.
In the investigation published by FragDenStaat, we reveal how European governments admitted holding numerous meetings with corporations such as Google, Meta or Microsoft to discuss AI. While most ministries responded to Freedom of Information requests, many provided incomplete or heavily redacted records about meetings with these corporations. Governments cited a range of justifications to withhold information from privacy concerns to the protection of commercial interests. In some cases, we even received documents that were completely blacked out except for a couple of words.
Redacted documents, commercial interests or internal notes
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Business and Trade confirmed it held relevant documents but released only redacted versions, citing personal data protection concerns when refusing to name ministry attendees. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology declined to provide the data, arguing that responding would exceed the statutory cost limits for FOI requests. Similar reasoning was given by Germany’s Bundeskanzleramt (Federal Chancellery), which claimed that fulfilling the request would require extensive effort and potential fees.
In Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment justified redactions by citing the need to protect the commercial interests and confidentiality expectations of companies, a concern shared by the Department of Business and Trade in the UK. Spain’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation declined to release any minutes of meetings, arguing that such records would be considered internal notes and not subject to disclosure under its transparency law. Denmark’s Ministry of Digital Government and Gender Equality acknowledged that meetings had taken place, but claimed no minutes were recorded.
This lack of consistent documentation and disclosure procedures across European countries highlights a troubling pattern. As AI policy is negotiated, often with input from powerful technology companies, public access to decision-making processes remains limited. Without transparency, it is nearly impossible to assess the extent of Big Tech’s influence on AI regulation.
In recent years, the EU has taken a leading role in shaping AI regulation through a combination of legislative tools, with the AI Act adopted in 2024 serving as the world’s first comprehensive framework to govern Artificial Intelligence. However, while meetings between EU institutions and industry representatives are relatively accessible, many national governments continue to keep their interactions with tech companies hidden from the public.
Secrecy in AI regulation threatens public accountability and the right to know
Our investigation has revealed inconsistencies across Europe in how governments respond to information requests. This lack of transparency is worrying for two reasons. Firstly, when meetings between public authorities and technology firms remain secret, the public cannot scrutinise the influence of these corporations in such impactful legislation. Secondly, by routinely invoking exemptions to block Freedom of Information requests, governments effectively erode the most powerful mechanism citizens have to obtain records from their own institutions.
Freedom of Information Acts, also known as Access to Information or Transparency Laws, are designed to guarantee that individuals can request data held by public authorities. If governments refuse to disclose information in the public interest when requested through FOIA requests, they not only withhold vital information but also weaken the very framework intended to ensure open and accountable governance.
Despite the adoption of the AI Act, AI regulation in Europe remains an evolving process shaped by multiple stakeholders with often conflicting interests. Therefore, more transparency is crucial in the AI regulation process, as it ensures accountability and allows citizens to understand how important decisions that affect their lives are made.