Yes — if your organisation places AI systems on the EU market, deploys AI systems that produce outputs used in the EU, or operates through EU-based entities or distributors, the EU AI Act applies to you with the same force as it applies to EU-based organisations. Indian AI companies that serve EU enterprise clients, distribute AI-powered products through EU channels, or provide AI-as-a-service to EU users need to conduct an EU AI Act applicability assessment and build the compliance infrastructure required for their risk classification — and they need to do it now, given that the Act’s phased application timeline is already running.

The EU AI Act classifies AI systems as high-risk if they fall within specific categories listed in Annex III of the Act — including AI systems used in biometric identification, critical infrastructure, education, employment, access to essential services, law enforcement, migration, and administration of justice. High-risk classification triggers a comprehensive set of obligations including mandatory conformity assessment, technical documentation, logging and traceability requirements, transparency obligations, human oversight design requirements, and registration in the EU database of high-risk AI systems. We conduct AI system risk classification assessments for every AI product in your portfolio and advise on the compliance pathway applicable to each classification.

Smart contracts are not yet the subject of dedicated legislation in India — but they are increasingly recognised as capable of constituting legally binding contracts under the Indian Contract Act, 1872, provided the essential elements of a valid contract are present. The enforceability of a specific smart contract depends on the clarity and completeness of its terms, the identifiability of the parties, and whether its subject matter complies with applicable law. We advise on the legal status, enforceability, and regulatory classification of smart contract arrangements on a case-by-case basis, and design the off-chain legal frameworks that complement on-chain logic and provide enforceable remedies where the smart contract alone cannot.

Algorithmic bias arises when an AI or machine learning system produces outputs that systematically disadvantage individuals or groups on the basis of characteristics such as race, gender, age, or socioeconomic status — whether as a result of biased training data, discriminatory model design, or the amplification of historical inequalities through automated decision-making. Legal obligations to address algorithmic bias arise from data protection law, consumer protection and equality law, and sector-specific AI guidelines that require regulated entities to demonstrate that their algorithmic systems do not produce discriminatory outcomes. We conduct algorithmic bias assessments, advise on mitigation strategies, and design the ongoing monitoring frameworks needed to manage bias risks across the full lifecycle of every algorithmic system your organisation deploys.

The most important step an organisation can take is to establish a clear inventory of every AI system it builds or deploys, assess the risk profile of each system against the current regulatory landscape and its likely trajectory, and build a governance framework that is proportionate to today’s requirements but designed to scale to tomorrow’s. Organisations that wait for dedicated AI legislation before beginning their compliance journey will find themselves retrofitting compliance into systems not designed with it in mind — at significantly greater cost and with significantly greater regulatory exposure than those who build compliance in from the start. We advise on AI regulatory readiness as an ongoing engagement — monitoring the landscape and ensuring your compliance programme evolves in step with the regulatory environment.