The Dutch Advertising Code Committee, known locally as the Reclame Code Commissie, has formally reprimanded tobacco giant Philip Morris for using an artificial intelligence campaign designed to lobby against proposed European Union regulations.
According to the regulatory panel, the campaign unlawfully breached existing bans on advertising tobacco products under the guise of an open public consultation process.
Generated letters for Brussels
The campaign relied on bright yellow posters placed inside Dutch tobacco shops displaying a prompt that urged customers to have their say on upcoming laws.
Scanning the printed QR code directed shoppers to an online tool that presented a series of targeted multiple-choice questions about their smoking habits and views on regulation.
An automated text generator then synthesized those answers into a first-person letter arguing against stricter limits on alternative tobacco products, which users were asked to submit directly to the official EU feedback portal.
A collective of healthcare professionals formally reported the practice to the national advertising watchdog, triggering the investigation into whether the corporate tool crossed legal lines.
Commercial promotion in disguise
The regulatory committee determined that because the software was entirely funded and managed by Philip Morris, the output naturally framed products like e-cigarettes, vapes, and heated tobacco units in a favorable light.
It concluded that using artificial intelligence to draft personalized political submissions still serves a clear commercial purpose and therefore amounts to illegal tobacco promotion.
Legal counsel representing the medical professionals noted that the decision sets a firm regional precedent, clarifying that digital persuasion and automated lobbying cannot bypass advertising restrictions simply by framing themselves as civic engagement initiatives.
Impact on European policy
The ruling comes as European lawmakers prepare updated directives that significantly tighten rules surrounding alternatives to traditional cigarettes, market segments that currently generate around 40 percent of overall revenue for Philip Morris.
Prior investigations into public submissions regarding the proposed EU rules showed that nearly three-quarters of all responses filed from the Netherlands had been automatically drafted using the tobacco company’s online generator tool.
