Overview

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises significant opportunities, creating value, driving growth and delivering innovation. There are risks, often novel, which need to be managed carefully by regulators and business as technology and use cases evolve. Our multidisciplinary technology team is highly skilled in helping organisations across multiple sectors embrace cutting edge technologies.

Our experts combine deep technical knowledge with keen understanding and insights into how public sector and businesses procure, design, develop and deploy AI. We provide commercially relevant, pragmatic advice to help you navigate AI regulation and risk, while maximising the strategic benefits this technology offers. As well as supporting clients who are investing in and deploying AI, our team is regularly called upon to provide expert guidance on regulation and other developments in the UK, EU and internationally.

Areas of focus

From AI regulation to commercialisation and risk management, we empower you to navigate the complex and fast-evolving legal landscape with confidence.

  • Technology and data - Supporting businesses to safely develop, use, protect and exploit technology. We can advise you on how best to utilise your data and technology.
  • AI regulation - Helping organisations navigate legal, regulatory and compliance requirements, and engage with regulators and governmental authorities.
  • Business growth and funding - Advising businesses on entering into commercial collaborations and partnerships, expanding internationally (into or from the UK) and making investment decisions, including early stage, venture capital, growth capital, development capital and venture debt transactions and M&A.
  • Business protection - Helping you manage regulatory and operational risks, reviews, investigations and commercial disputes. Developing and protecting IP, ensuring data privacy compliance and achieve cybersecurity objectives.

AI training, AI literacy and thought leadership

We regularly provide tailored training to public sector and private sector clients on AI-relevant regulation (enacted and proposed) and legal risk. Examples include training on the EU AI Act, UK proposed regulation, AI system governance and contracting.

We are thought leaders in AI law, producing practical content, including:

View our AI regulation and law blog here, and sign-up for our AI newsletter here.

Our team lead and co-wrote the chapter on Public Law and Procurement Law and AI in the second edition of practitioner's textbook The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet & Maxwell, 2024), with co-authors Professor Rebecca Williams (University of Oxford) and Azeem Suterwalla and Will Perry (Monckton Chambers). We also wrote the LexisPSL practice note on the EU AI Act, and the Chambers and Partners UK guide to AI regulation (2024)

We regularly speak at industry events, including the Society for Computers and Law AI Conference, Responsible AI and Risk Management Conference, AI Summit, London International Disputes Week, amongst others.

Our team has also obtained specialist AI accreditations from the University of Oxford.

Experience

Oxford University - Advising Oxford University spin-out AI/deep learning-driven 3D body modelling business, Aistetic, regarding its equity investment by Oxford Sciences Innovation.

Leading NHS foundation - Advising on licensing aspects of OSS in respect of their AI platform and suite of terms and conditions for developers to create or develop and market medical AI apps for the AI App marketplace.

Angel investors - Acting for an angel investor consortium regarding their investment in Mistral AI (European challenger to Google and OpenAI) as part of Mistral AI’s €105m Seed round.

Atos - Advising on its challenge regarding the Met Office’s procurement of the world’s most powerful weather and climate forecasting supercomputer.

Leading NHS foundation - Advising on the licensing of third-party AI tools, and the development of proprietary tools regarding IP protection and data use.

Leading lending platform - Advising on the development of policies and protocols regarding the use of AI or machine learning to make automated credit and lending decisions.

We regularly act on highly sensitive and confidential matters, including related to AI, which we are unable to share here. Examples include advice on liability frameworks and AI contracting.

Meet the team
Brian Wong

Brian Wong Partner

  • Rail
  • Highways and Road Transport
  • Judicial Review and Public Law
A photo of David Varney

David Varney Partner

  • Data Protection and Cybersecurity
  • Technology and Communications
  • Outsourcing
 
Lucy Pegler

Lucy Pegler Partner

  • Technology and Communications
  • Data Protection and Cybersecurity
  • Outsourcing
Patrick Parkin

Patrick Parkin Partner

  • Healthcare
  • Procurement and State Aid
  • Commercial
Headshot of Liz Smith

Liz Smith Associate

  • Commercial
  • Data Protection
  • Technology
Martin Cook Temp Corporate Image Web Profile

Martin Cook Partner

  • Head of Fintech
  • Financial services
  • Technology and Communications

Key contact

Tom Whittaker

Tom Whittaker Director

  • Dispute Resolution
  • Commercial Contract Disputes
  • Procurement and State Aid

Burges Salmon PATH (Procurement Act Training & Help)

Subscribe to news and insight

Burges Salmon careers

We work hard to make sure Burges Salmon is a great place to work.
Find out more