Corporate and Commercial AI
Corporate and Commercial AI
You may feel excited by the promise of AI, but at the same time, anxious about legal risks, regulations, and costs.
That mix of opportunity and concern is standard. Clients tell us they want speed and savings, but not at the expense of confidentiality, compliance, or reputation. We combine practical legal advice with a human approach, and use technology where it helps, but never lose sight of the personal relationship that sits at the heart of good service.
What Does AI Mean for Your Business?
Corporate and commercial AI covers the use of artificial intelligence across your day‑to‑day corporate and commercial law needs. Typical areas include contract drafting and review, due diligence, procurement and vendor management, data protection, intellectual property, and support for corporate and commercial litigation. It also covers how your business buys, builds, or embeds AI tools, and the legal terms that control ownership, risk, and accountability.
The direction of travel is clear. Official statistics show that in 2023, only 9% of UK firms used AI, with a planned rise to 22% for 2024/25, with higher adoption in larger service businesses. In the legal services sector, market regulators and surveys report a rapid shift at the top end, with three-quarters of the largest law firms utilising AI and many others actively exploring generative tools. A 2024 study of UK legal professionals found 41% already using generative AI for work.
Why clients look at this page
- You want faster, cleaner contract work without losing control of risk.
- Your board asks for an AI plan that is safe, lawful, and auditable.
- You face pressure to cut external spend yet maintain quality.
- You are unsure how AI affects confidentiality, IP rights, and liability.
- You need a partner who is friendly and approachable, but tough when it matters.
Practical benefits and real risks
Speed and throughput. AI can help shorten review cycles. Analysts predict that by 2027, half of organisations will support supplier contract negotiations with AI‑enabled contract risk analysis and editing tools. Leaders expect a material uplift in productivity from these tools.
Clarity and governance. A clear operating model matters just as much as technology. UK guidance sets out practical steps to manage AI risks, including fairness, transparency, data minimisation, and DPIAs. The ICO’s AI and Data Protection Risk Toolkit provides a concrete framework you can adapt to your context.
Market reality.
While adoption rises, many teams still spend hours on manual reviews and lack standard playbooks, which slows deals and increases inconsistency.
Legal risk. Poorly drafted AI clauses can leave you exposed to risks related to ownership of outputs, training rights, confidentiality, bias, explainability, audit rights, and remedies. If an AI tool makes a harmful error, you need transparent allocation of responsibility, fit‑for‑purpose warranties, and workable service credits or indemnities. Thoughtful drafting reduces disputes and makes your position easier to defend in corporate and commercial litigation.
Key legal issues we help you address
- Ownership and use rights. Who owns the inputs, outputs, and fine‑tuned models?
- Training and data rights. Whether your data may be used for model training, and limits to protect trade secrets and personal data.
- Confidentiality. How is your information protected when routed through third‑party systems?
- Audit and assurance. Access to logs, explainability reports, and security attestations.
- Risk allocation. Warranties on accuracy and fitness, caps, exclusions, and indemnities that work in real life, not just on paper.
- Termination and transition. Exit rights, data return, and model portability to avoid lock‑in.
- Lawful basis and minimisation. Mapping data flows and establishing a firm legal basis.
- DPIAs and record‑keeping. Clear documentation for higher‑risk use cases.
- Vendor oversight. Ensuring processors meet UK GDPR requirements and your internal policies.
- Bias and fairness. Controls to monitor and reduce discriminatory outcomes.
- Guidance from the ICO supports these steps and helps you evidence compliance.
- Input and output rights. Avoid accidental loss of rights in training materials and outputs.
- Open‑source and third‑party content. Manage licence terms, attribution, and audit trails.
- Confidential information and trade secrets. Keep crown‑jewel know‑how out of shared or public models.
- Disclosure and evidence. Preservation of prompts, outputs, and system logs.
- Causation and loss. Structuring contracts and internal controls so you can show who did what and when.
- Regulatory engagement. Clear records that show why choices were made and how risks were controlled.
How our corporate and commercial lawyers help
Our corporate and commercial lawyers advise start‑ups, high‑growth companies, and mature corporates on corporate and commercial AI across the whole contract and governance cycle.
We keep things simple. We explain the risk, outline your options, and help you choose a route that suits your appetite and timescales.
We design practical AI use policies, approval gates, and playbooks that your teams can follow. This supports adoption while keeping control of data, security, and compliance. UK research links stronger management practices with better follow-through on AI plans, which is why transparent processes are crucial.
Contract drafting and negotiation. We prepare and negotiate AI addenda, master service agreements, statements of work, and data processing terms, focusing on ownership, confidentiality, audit, and remedies.
We run legal‑led checkpoints for bids and renewals, stress‑testing supplier claims and aligning service levels with real business needs.
Data protection. We align AI projects with UK GDPR, conduct DPIAs, and set up vendor oversight using the ICO toolkit as a reference point.
We secure rights in inputs and outputs, and put controls around open‑source and third‑party content.
Dispute support. Where corporate and commercial litigation is in play, we help with disclosure protocols, expert evidence, and settlement strategy.
Short, simple sessions for boards, product teams, and procurement teams. We focus on real‑world use, not theory.
We provide a written scope and fee estimate before work starts. Many clients choose a fixed‑fee scoping session followed by a clear, staged plan. There is no surprise billing.
Frequently asked questions
Building gives more control but demands time, skills, and budget. Buying can be faster and cheaper to start, but you must fix ownership and data rights in the contract. UK data shows that adopters often split between off‑the‑shelf and in‑house routes, so choose the model that fits your goals and controls.
No. Tools handle repeatable tasks. Your people still make the calls that matter. Regulators and surveys show that firms using AI tend to view it as support, not a replacement.
Many teams see faster review and clearer issue spotting when AI is set up well. Market analysis points to rising use of AI‑enabled contract risk analysis by 2027.
Start with data mapping, lawful basis, and a DPIA for higher‑risk cases. Use vendor checks and testing for bias and accuracy. The ICO toolkit is a practical guide you can adopt and evidence.
Set this out in the contract. Confirm who owns prompts, outputs, and any fine‑tuned models. Ensure that the supplier cannot train on your data unless you explicitly agree.
Yes. Clear contracts, policies, and records reduce risk flags in corporate transactions. Buyers want to see who owns the rights, which controls exist, and how issues are tracked and managed.
We are experienced, friendly, and straightforward. We simplify complex concepts using modern tools. We safeguard your interests in negotiations and disputes with our extensive expertise, encompassing intellectual property, data protection, and corporate commercial law, to provide cohesive advice.
If you are seeking practical and confident guidance on corporate and commercial AI, our team is here to help you move quickly, manage risks, and protect your assets. Please reach out to us using the contact information at the bottom of the page. We respond promptly and will outline clear next steps for you.
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