Artificial Intelligence Law Guide
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About the Practice Guide
Upcoming Event
Artificial Intelligence Roundtable on 20 Oct 2026. Learn more →
Editors
Ashurst Perkins Coie unites market-leading capabilities in the technology, energy and infrastructure, and financial services sectors with cultural fluency and geopolitical insight to transform global complexity into clarity and opportunity.
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CMS is an international law firm that offers legal and tax advisory services. It provides companies and organisations with advice on a full range of legal issues. CMS is the world’s fifth largest law firm by lawyer headcount and the 21st by revenue. Currently, CMS has 18 member firms with main headquarters in 12 European, four South American and two African countries.
Read more →Jurisdictions
AUS
Australia
Austria
AUT
Austria
Belgium
BEL
Belgium
Canada
CAN
Canada
China
CHN
China
Denmark
DNK
Denmark
Germany
DEU
Germany
Iceland
ISL
Iceland
India
IND
India
Ireland
IRL
Ireland
Malaysia
MYS
Malaysia
The Netherlands
NLD
Netherlands
Romania
ROU
Romania
Singapore
SGP
Singapore
Spain
ESP
Spain
Switzerland
CHE
Switzerland
Tanzania
TZA
Tanzania
Turkey
TUR
Türkiye
UK
GBR
United Kingdom
US
USA
United States
BEL
Belgium - Market Insights
European Union
European Union - Market Insights
Germany
DEU
Germany - Market Insights
Ireland
IRL
Ireland - Market Insights
Spain
ESP
Spain - Market Insights
Switzerland
CHE
Switzerland - Market Insights
Tanzania
TZA
Tanazia - Market Insights
US
USA
United States - Market Insights (Finance)
US
USA
United States - Market Insights (Contracts)
US
USA
United States - Market Insights (Media)
US
USA
United States - Market Insights (Technology)
Introduction
Editors’ Introduction
Welcome to the third edition of the Law Over Borders Comparative Guide to Artificial Intelligence. For this edition I am delighted to welcome global co-editor Dean Harvey of Ashurst Perkins Coie, who brings a wealth of knowledge and a valuable North American perspective to the topic of AI law and regulation. It has become increasingly apparent (and I am sure no surprise to you, the reader) that the phrase “many hands make light work” is apposite in describing the burgeoning demands of editing a global guide on AI. As ever we are indebted to the country contributors who have sacrificed time and effort to provide local insights on the ways in which artificial intelligence is regulated across the globe.
The second edition of this guide was published in July 2024. In the two years since we have seen developments in the scope and utility of AI models and systems, which typically have opened more novel issues of liability. The topic on everybody’s lips is “Agentic AI”: put simply, AI that can exercise judgment and do things for us (in contrast to the current crop of generative AI models that respond passively to prompts). Agentic AI opens new horizons in terms of AI capability, but with that inevitably comes execution risk. The principles of modern human agency law have evolved over the last four hundred years, yet no such equivalent exists in relation to the actions of AI agents. These are horizons we expect to be resolved in future editions.
In a world which is increasingly dominated by global influence and hegemony, concerns have been raised at national level over the cooling effects of AI regulation. These worries were first articulated in the EU by former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi in his substantive 2025 report on European competitiveness. Ultimately this led to the 2026 EU Digital Simplification initiative, one impact of which has been to defer the commencement of the High-Risk AI System regime in the EU AI Act. In the US, a federal policy of limiting AI regulation to preserve AI innovation and competitiveness nationally has led to a pre-emption battle between State and Federal governments over what has been termed a patchwork of inhibitory state AI laws. Finally, the UK, caught perhaps between these two major economies, has sought to reinforce its own pre-eminent AI position by shelving a much-touted law on frontier AI models.
In this climate, the increasing dominance of US-led hyperscalers has also fostered nervousness over sovereign AI capabilities, with many countries now considering how to reinforce their own AI infrastructure, reduce US dependencies and channel more investment into local data centre development.
Finally, in this vein, the extent to which national regulators, such as those in the EU and the UK, can influence and restrain US businesses is becoming an increasingly divisive issue — particularly in light of the tension between US constitutional free speech principles and the desire of those regulators to prevent content deemed harmful (such as deepfake nudes) from being created and distributed.
Away from macroeconomic influences, statute and case law relating to AI continue to evolve and develop, although many of the more intractable issues — such as the tension between intellectual property content rights holders and AI developers over the legitimacy of web-scraping — remain to be resolved definitively. The country Q&A chapters in this guide provide valuable insight into how such matters are being resolved nationally.
This third edition of our Artificial Intelligence Law Over Borders Comparative Guide endeavours to maintain the pace on what continues to be an exponential evolution of global AI law.
Contributors
Allegiance Law is a Belgian boutique law firm in Brussels with experienced lawyers specialising in corporate, commercial, IT/IP/privacy and regulatory law (AI, privacy, cybersecurity). Whether facing...
Arioli Law is a Zurich boutique advising on technology transactions, outsourcing, cloud, digital regulation, data protection and intellectual property. The firm focuses on high-value, complex mandates...
Ashurst Perkins Coie unites market-leading capabilities in the technology, energy and infrastructure, and financial services sectors with cultural fluency and geopolitical insight to transform global...
Bird & Bird is the leading international law firm in Denmark on technology and digitalisation law, offering strategic, clear, and commercially grounded legal advice to businesses shaping the digit...
CMS is an international law firm that offers legal and tax advisory services. It provides companies and organisations with advice on a full range of legal issues. CMS is the world’s fifth largest law...
Corrs Chambers Westgarth is Australia’s leading independent law firm with over 175 years of history and offices throughout Australia in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Corrs is a firm of choice...
The history of Global Law Office (GLO) dates back to the establishment of the Legal Consultant Office of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in 1979. By the approval of the...
GreenGate Partners is a technology law firm advising at the intersection of AI, data, regulation and venture-backed growth. The firm translates complex regulatory frameworks — particularly the EU AI A...
Jurisolutions and Associates (JSA) is a leading law firm with strong local expertise. Since its establishment in July 2015, JSA has grown into a reliable and competent boutique advisory firm. With a d...
KGP Legal is a Singapore-licensed corporate and commercial law firm with an international focus. It is a member firm of the InterAsia Law Alliance, a network of independent liaison law firms...
Khaitan & Co is one of India’s oldest full-service law firms having been founded in 1911. The firm currently has presence in Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi (National Capital Region), Bengaluru, Chenna...
At LEX Law Offices, experienced attorneys cover a broad array of legal fields. LEX is one of the largest and oldest law firms in Iceland, prioritising client needs with an emphasis on efficiency and q...
The Law Office of Jenna F. Karadbil is a New York-based boutique law firm advising US and international clients on AI, intellectual property, media, technology, privacy, advertising, entertainment, te...
Linklaters is a global law firm that leading corporates, financial institutions, funds and sponsors have trusted for nearly 200 years. The firm operates at the forefront of key practice areas and sect...
McCarthy Tétrault is a Canadian law firm that offers a full suite of legal and business solutions to clients in Canada and around the world. It has offices in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary,...
Ozdagistanli Ekici is a leading independent firm located in Istanbul with an impressive track record in IP and IT matters. The firm has a sector-specific approach to make sure that the sector-specific...
Pierce Atwood, a highly regarded full-service law firm based in New England, has 150 attorneys who serve regional, national, and international clients from offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine; Port...
Ropes & Gray is a leader in helping clients navigate the increasingly complex legal landscape surrounding data, from managing complex global advisory matters to responding to litigation and invest...
SankerIP is a Silicon Valley IP boutique focused on strategic patent portfolio development for high-tech innovators. Founded in February 2024, the firm combines Big Law depth with boutique responsiven...
Established in 1905, Shearn Delamore & Co is one of Malaysia’s leading law firms. With over 100 lawyers and 230 staff, we have the resources to manage the most complex projects, transactions and m...
Ventures’n’Law is a Romania-based law firm focused on advising technology companies, startups, and digital businesses operating in fast-scaling and cross-border environments. The firm combines legal e...
With over 300 lawyers, tax experts, notaries and counsels, Walder Wyss is one of Switzerland’s leading law firms. We operate from six fully integrated offices in Switzerland, ensuring seamless co...
William Fry is a leading Irish corporate law firm, with over 350 legal and tax professionals and over 500 staff. The firm is ranked by international directories as being a leader in its core practice...
