'Big AI' is subverting regulations just like tobacco and oil firms

"Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, Delft University of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University claim they identified patterns of "corporate capture" by which regulations and public bodies come to act in the interest of industry rather than the citizens they are meant to protect."

"The most frequent include what the researchers identify as Discourse & Epistemic influence (D&EI), Elusion of law, or Direct influence on policy. For evidence, the researchers analyzed 100 news stories covering four global AI events between 2023 and 2025; the EU AI Act negotiations, and the global AI summits held in the UK, South Korea, and France."

"One of the most prevalent here was "narrative capture," which is when an industry or company attempts to steer discussion in a direction that benefits them, and influences the position or decisions of public officials and official regulations."

"As an example, it cites how the European Commission has uncritically followed the industry's call to "simplify" the AI Act (alongside other digital regulation) even before it has been fully implemented. Earlier this month, The Register reported how enforcement of the rules was delayed, while the rules themselves were cut back after months of angry complaints from AI companies."

An academic study reports that the AI industry uses influence techniques previously seen in tobacco, big pharma, and oil to shape government policy and regulation. Researchers identify “corporate capture” patterns where regulations and public bodies act in industry interests rather than the citizens they are meant to protect. The study describes mechanisms including Discourse and Epistemic Influence, Elusion of law, and Direct influence on policy. Evidence comes from analysis of 100 news stories covering major AI events from 2023 to 2025, including EU AI Act negotiations and global AI summits. A frequent mechanism is narrative capture, where industry steers public discussion to benefit itself and affects official decisions. The European Commission is cited for following industry calls to simplify the AI Act before full implementation, alongside delayed enforcement and rule cutbacks after industry complaints.

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