The CEOs of German technology giant SAP and Siemens are calling for a fundamental revision of the European AI Act.
In a joint interview with Frankfurter Earlgemine Zitane (Monday edition), SAP’s Christian Klein and Siemens’ Roland Bush advocated a new framework that promotes innovation rather than suffocating it. According to a preliminary report, Bush said the European AI Act was one of the reasons “why you can’t go full throttle here.” He argued that the regulations were partially inconsistent and overlap with existing laws. Busch described data methods as “toxic to developing digital business models.”
Bush explained that he intentionally did not sign an open letter from industry representatives to the EU Commission, not asking for a moratorium on the rules “as I didn’t go far enough for me.” According to him, the issue isn’t just about pausing the rules for a while. “In the meantime, we need to fundamentally change the law,” Siemens CEO requested. Revising data regulations should prioritize data centre investments. “We’re sitting in a treasure trove of European data, but we haven’t been able to unlock it yet,” Bush added. SAP’s Chief Klein warned against copying copies of the US strategy that focuses primarily on infrastructure investments. So far, he pointed out that AI projects have not failed due to lack of computing capabilities.
The legislative packages are implemented, so their push is made. The EU Parliament adopted the AI Act in 2024, categorizing AI applications into risk categories and requiring providers to meet certain safety and transparency standards. However, recently, US companies such as Alphabet and Meta, as well as European companies Mistral and ASML have cited the lack of clear guidelines for delays.
The European Commission announced in early July that the release of the corresponding code of conduct may be delayed until the end of 2025. However, Brussels authorities have refused to postpone the overall implementation of the law. The committee has not yet issued a statement regarding the request from Siemens and SAP.
(Reporting by Scot W. Stevenson; For inquiries, please contact our editorial team at verlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economics) or Frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (companies and markets).
