AI race vs. privacy: European ministers want to ease rules for AI training

The EU Council, which represents the member states' governments, has now set out its position on the Digital Omnibus, a legislative package meant to ease the rules that apply to training AI in the EU. The framing is a contest between the push to compete in AI and the protection of personal privacy, with European ministers coming down on the side of looser requirements for AI training.

The only reaction recorded is from a non-governmental organisation, which objects to the proposal. The available text is cut off mid-sentence, so it does not say which NGO is speaking or what its specific objections are.

The text also gives no detail on which rules would change, how far the relaxation would go, or what the next steps are in the legislative process. It does not say how the Council's position compares with the European Commission's original proposal or with the views of the European Parliament.

What can be said is limited to this: the Council has taken a stance in favour of making AI training easier under EU rules, the move is part of the Digital Omnibus, and civil society groups are already pushing back on privacy grounds. For readers following AI regulation in Denmark and the Nordics, the Council's position matters because it shows where member state governments stand on the balance between AI competitiveness and data protection, a balance that will shape how AI developers in Europe can use data for training.