# Von der Leyen’s AI pick triggers conflict-of-interest criticism > Source: > Published: 2026-06-04 14:38:34+00:00 BRUSSELS — The appointment of Siemens’ chairman as a European Commission adviser on industrial AI is triggering a backlash in Brussels, weeks after the German engineering giant helped secure a rollback of the EU’s AI rules. "My first reaction was just: Wow," said Kim van Sparrentak, a Dutch lawmaker who led the work on the AI file for the Greens in the European Parliament. "They fought hard against AI rules for themselves, they lobby against technological sovereignty, and now they get to decide how we are going to integrate AI," she said.