Tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) has rejected accusations that it used artificial intelligence to manipulate public input into the European Union’s review of tobacco rules, insisting its online tool was designed only to facilitate legitimate citizen participation.
The company faces a formal complaint in the Netherlands from doctors and health groups over what they call a misleading campaign.
An investigation by Dutch broadcaster NOS and journalism platform Pointer said that PMI’s “Your Voice. Your Choice” tool helped generate hundreds of responses to the European Commission’s consultation on the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) revision, with the Netherlands among the most affected countries.
They claimed that almost three-quarters of the Dutch responses to stricter EU tobacco legislation were written entirely by AI, and nine out of ten of the Dutch-language responses were generated by a text generator belonging to tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris.
There were also a lot more reaction on the anti-tobacco proposals by the EC, which is according to the Dutch journalists a troubling sign.
They used the site Pangram to determine of a text was written by AI or not.
In the Netherlands, a coalition of doctors and health organisations has lodged a complaint with the Dutch Advertising Code Committee. They contend the initiative misleads the public and constitutes illegal tobacco advertising.
“This is not neutral citizen participation, but a carefully designed influence campaign that creates the impression that people are expressing their own opinions, while in reality they are being steered in a predetermined direction,” argued Danielle Cohen, a lung pathologist at LUMC.
“There are dozens of buttons opposing stricter regulations, and only one button that allows users to indicate support for stricter regulations.”
A report is also being filed with the Dutch Data Protection Authority because the campaign asked if people used cigarettes or alternative tobacco products. According to their lawyer this is “highly sensitive data”.
The contested platform guided users through questions and produced draft texts that could be edited before submission. Critics argue this amounts to astroturfing and may breach advertising rules.
PMI strongly denies any manipulation. In a detailed statement, the company said, “We stand by our efforts to inform and facilitate citizens and stakeholders participation in the democratic process, and the use of technology to support that goal. Users of the Voice tool remained fully in control of their submissions at all times: They could freely edit the text, decide what to include or not.”
The company accused anti-tobacco lobbyists of spreading “fake news” to delegitimise opposing views.
“Anti-tobacco lobbyists are trying to discredit thousands of citizens and stakeholders who chose to participate in the TPD consultation – with or without AI support – by spreading fake news.
“Their objective is clear: To delegitimise viewpoints that challenge their preferred narrative, shifting attention away from the outcome of the consultation and towards a fabricated controversy.
“What is at stake is the right of stakeholders and citizens to participate in democratic decision-making without being dismissed or silenced because their views are inconvenient to a particular ideological agenda. PMI remains committed to transparency, people and stakeholders’ participation, and ensuring that individuals have the tools and opportunities to engage with EU policymakers and make their voices heard.”
PMI said earlier that they used to tool to make texts readable, coherent and relevant. These focus on structure and clarity, not on steering the content towards a specific viewpoint.
The European Commission has launched its call for evidence on revising the TPD and related advertising rules earlier this year. The consultation has drawn significant input from both industry and public health advocates amid ongoing debates over vapes, heated tobacco products, and stricter regulation.
The Commission said via a spokesperson it was very concerned about the allegations and condemned it.
They added that views of citizens should not be manipulated or misrepresented. “It is essential that our public consultations accurately reflect public opinion on the subject in question.”
The Commission said it takes campaign activities into account in the analysis of the responses.
Experts say that policies aimed at protecting the public against the negative effects of smoking have serious adverse effects, damaging public health. https://t.co/82mNHZxMMt
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 24, 2026
