Siemens chairman to advise von der Leyen on industrial AI

The European Commission on Wednesday appointed Jim Hagemann Snabe in a newly created role described as a “Special Envoy for Industrial AI”.

Snabe is currently chairman of German industrial giant Siemens and sits on the boards of several other tech companies across the globe.

The move looks aimed at allaying industry concerns, including from Siemens itself, over EU rules on AI impeding their competitiveness – concerns that, just weeks ago, culminated in a partly successful push by EU lawmakers to cut key industrial sectors out of the EU’s AI Act.

Snabe will be directly advising Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen “in order to maximise the transformative potential of AI across the EU”, the Commission wrote in a statement announcing the appointment.

It added that Snabe’s duties will include penning a forward-looking report on the topic. The Dane is also charged with providing advice on foundational AI models, generative AI, cloud computing, advanced AI software and applying AI across industrial sectors.

Snabe will have a “non-renumerated” status (i.e. be unpaid) until 31 March 2027, according to the Commission’s announcement. A spokesperson did not immediately clarify whether the date marks the end of his mandate or whether he would change status at that point.

The Commission suggested it had carried out “a thorough assessment” prior to appointing Snabe to ensure no conflicts of interest. The announcement noted that he will suspend his membership of the advisory board of Google Cloud and another position on the board of American tech company C3.ai.

Still, Bram Vranken – researcher at the business transparency non-profit Corporate Europe Observatory – was less than enthused about the appointment.

There is prior history to von der Leyen’s picks for envoy posts that doesn’t necessarily bode well for Snabe: Back in 2024, the Commission President appointed Markus Pieper, a lawmaker from her own European People’s Party (EPP), to be the EU’s envoy for small and medium enterprises. But he resigned months later, following concerns over the selection process.

Discussing the rationale for the appointment at a press briefing on Wednesday, Virkkunen said Snabe will bring in outside experience.

(nl)