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Google’s Top Europe Executive Calls for Simplified AI Rules

By  |  October 1, 2025

Google’s most senior executive in Europe has urged the European Union to streamline its web of digital regulations, warning that conflicting and unclear rules are hindering innovation. According to Bloomberg, Debbie Weinstein, who leads Google across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said that the bloc has passed roughly 100 internet-related laws since 2019, many of which overlap or contradict each other.

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    Speaking at Bloomberg’s Women, Money & Power conference, Weinstein emphasized that the lack of clarity has real consequences for how technology companies launch new products. She pointed to Google’s “AI overviews” feature, which offers summarized responses to search queries, noting the company delayed its release in Europe for months while navigating regulatory uncertainty. The tool still has not been introduced in France, per Bloomberg.

    Weinstein’s comments highlight a long-running tension between U.S. technology giants and European regulators. For years, the EU has fined Google over antitrust cases and pressed the company on privacy standards. More recently, the bloc’s Artificial Intelligence Act — which imposes strict requirements on large-scale AI models such as Google’s Gemini — has drawn heavy criticism from the industry. According to Bloomberg, Weinstein suggested that many business leaders she engages with share a “universal frustration” over the current regulatory regime.

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    Other major players have taken even firmer stances. Apple recently called for the repeal of certain EU antitrust measures, while both Apple and Meta have delayed product rollouts in the region, blaming regulatory burdens. Meta has also declined to endorse the EU’s new voluntary code of practice for AI, a move that sets it apart from Google, which has signed on.

    The broader fight over tech regulation is spilling into geopolitics. U.S. President Donald Trump has backed Silicon Valley companies, criticizing European rules as unfairly targeting American firms. Bloomberg reports that Trump has threatened retaliatory measures, including new tariffs and restrictions on advanced technologies, if such policies continue.

    Weinstein, who took on her current role after leading Google’s UK operations, indicated she intends to push for reforms but did not outline specific proposals. She said she hopes to work with other industry voices to promote a more streamlined system, arguing that simplification and harmonization would better serve both consumers and companies in Europe.

    Source: Bloomberg