France, Nov. 20 -- Brussels boasts world-leading legislation on data privacy and artificial intelligence, but those efforts have drawn growing criticism - not only from Washington under President Donald Trump, but also from EU member states' governments and European businesses worried the bloc has overcorrected and risks inhibiting innovation as a result.

On Wednesday, the European Commission - the EU's executive branch - unveiled a "digital simplification package" of proposals that would relax certain rules on AI and data privacy.

However, the Commission insists it is not bowing to outside pressure. Instead, officials say the aim is to make life simpler for companies across the 27-nation bloc while maintaining Europe's reputation for s...