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[European Times, November 20, Li Fei, translated] The European Union announced a new proposal on simplifying regulations for artificial intelligence and privacy protection on November 19. This proposal has been criticized by the technology industry, which claims it is not sufficient, and also by consumer groups, who accuse the EU of bowing to tech giants.

According to Reuters, the new "Digital Consolidation Act" proposal by the European Commission will postpone stricter regulations for the use of artificial intelligence in "high-risk" areas until the end of 2027, relax Cookie-related rules and allow for broader data usage.

In the global technology competition, American and Asian enterprises are far ahead in the fields of artificial intelligence and chips. Europe is striving to find a balance between strict regulation and avoiding further lagging behind.

It is reported that the new proposal will postpone the strengthening measures for the regulation of artificial intelligence in sensitive areas such as biometrics, public utility supply, healthcare, credit assessment and law enforcement from August 2026 to December 2027.

The European Commission aims to clarify when data no longer belongs to "personal data" in privacy laws, which may make it easier for technology companies to use the anonymous information of EU citizens for artificial intelligence training.

The proposed amendments would also allow companies such as Google's parent company Alphabet, Meta, and OpenAI to use the personal data of Europeans to train AI models. Many companies in Europe, including Siemens and SAP, have called for changes to the AI rules to simplify the process.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration in the United States frequently criticizes the regulations of the European Union, claiming that they are targeted at American companies. The European Commission has denied this.

Ahmed Baradi, a partner at Gibson Dunn law firm and an expert in artificial intelligence and technology regulation, said, "The goal of the European Commission seems to be to establish simpler and more predictable rules while maintaining the core safeguards of the EU while reducing friction with innovators."

This comprehensive or simplified plan covers the "Artificial Intelligence Act" that came into effect last year, as well as privacy legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Electronic Privacy Directive, and the Data Act.

The revisions to the "Artificial Intelligence Act" include: If an artificial intelligence system is only used for narrow or procedural tasks, companies will be exempted from registering in the EU high-risk system database. The consent for pop-up cookies will also be simplified.

This proposal needs to be approved by the EU member states and the European Parliament's privacy affairs committee before it can be implemented. Member of Parliament Brando Benyfi, who is in charge of negotiating artificial intelligence rules, said on the 18th that the European Parliament must continue to defend citizens' digital rights.

The group, which includes Alphabet, Meta and Apple's tech lobbying group CCIA Europe, said the move was welcome but "more bold actions are still needed". The financial services organization AFME also said the measures were positive but not strong enough.

EU antitrust commissioner Hanna Verrukien said: "Many stakeholders will think this is not enough." She added that Europe was indeed lagging behind in technology and innovation, "and some people think the measures are too strong, so I think this is a balanced solution".

Privacy rights organization noyb and civil rights groups regarded these changes as weakening the regulations, "making AI systems more likely to access the most private details - and thereby manipulate people".

In addition, a group of 127 civil society organizations issued an open letter, calling the proposals "the biggest setback in EU history for digital basic rights".

It is worth noting that a group of activists set up four mobile billboards and hundreds of posters around Brussels on the 19th, urging EU Commission President Frans Timmerman to resist the pressure from large tech companies and Trump. (Editor: Mu Zi)