AI is changing what businesses build, how they sell and what they are worth. We help the companies building, adopting and investing in AI to protect their technology, contract on the right terms and grow with confidence.

Maybrook Law advises on the legal issues raised by artificial intelligence, from developing an AI product to the deals that fund it and the disputes that sometimes follow. We act for UK and international clients, including technology businesses establishing or expanding in the UK.

Who we advise

• AI developers and product companies building models, AI-enabled software and autonomous systems
• Businesses adopting AI in their products, operations and workforce
• Investors and acquirers backing or buying AI businesses

How we help

AI contracts and commercialisation

An AI product is only as valuable as the terms on which it is developed, licensed and sold. We advise on AI development, collaboration and licensing agreements, SaaS and AI-as-a-service terms, and customer and partner agreements. We focus on the points that decide AI deals: access to training data, reliance on third-party models, rights in inputs and outputs, performance criteria, acceptance, and who is responsible when the technology does not perform as expected.

AI, intellectual property and data

For most AI businesses, value sits in models, datasets, software and know-how. We advise on the ownership, licensing and protection of these assets, including the provenance of training data, rights in AI-generated output, trade secrets, and open-source and third-party dependencies. We also design licensing models that let clients commercialise their technology without giving away the rights on which their competitive advantage depends.

Investment, M&A and growth

In an AI business, the technology can matter as much as the cap table. We advise founders and companies on seed, venture and growth rounds, strategic investments, joint ventures and M&A, and on the shareholder and founder arrangements that change as investors come on board. For investors and acquirers, we test whether a business actually owns, or has the right to use, the technology that drives its value.

Adopting AI in your business

From generative AI assistants to AI features built into SaaS platforms, businesses increasingly rely on third-party AI tools. We advise customers and suppliers on procuring and deploying AI: how prompts and business data may be used, whether a provider can change the underlying model, what performance commitments are really being given and how liability is allocated for inaccurate results. We also prepare internal AI policies and advise on the employment, confidentiality and IP issues that arise when employees use AI tools.

AI regulation and governance

A business’s regulatory obligations increasingly depend on its role in the AI value chain and the nature of its system. We help clients understand where they sit and what follows, under the EU AI Act, UK GDPR and wider data protection law, consumer protection and product liability rules. We build those requirements into commercial contracts and internal governance, working with specialist local counsel where jurisdiction-specific advice is needed.

AI disputes

AI disputes usually arise from the gap between what a system was expected to do and what it delivered, often where responsibility is shared between a model provider, developer, integrator and customer. We act in disputes over specifications and acceptance, ownership and licensing, payment, warranties, termination and failed or underperforming systems. Because we also draft these agreements, we know how their terms are likely to operate when a project runs into difficulty.

AI in the physical world: robotics and automation

When AI moves from software into machines, performance depends on hardware, systems integration, the operating environment and the customer’s own infrastructure. Our work with robotics and industrial automation businesses gives us practical experience of what that means in a contract. That includes how performance is specified and demonstrated, how site and integration dependencies are allocated, and how responsibility is shared when hardware, software and AI operate as a single system.

Selected experience

• Autonomous robotic welding. Advising a pioneer of autonomous robotic welding, whose AI and machine vision technology lets industrial robots weld without manual programming. We structured the terms on which the technology is licensed, supplied and deployed to manufacturers worldwide, negotiated with customers across the United States, Europe and the Middle East, and act for the company in disputes over specifications, acceptance and performance.
• AI in medical technology. Advising a medical technology company that develops AI-assisted eye-testing software for optical professionals. We built the legal framework for supplying and licensing its software internationally, including its customer, licensing and partner agreements, and continue to support its expansion across the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
• AI-led business transformation. Advising a UK investment group that acquires established businesses and uses AI, automation and digital technology to transform how they operate. We act on its technology partnerships, including collaboration and licence agreements for developing and commercialising technology across the group’s businesses.
• Robotics and AI in hospitality. Advising a restaurant technology company developing robotics, AI and software to automate food preparation and back-of-house operations. We act on its agreements with customers, partners and suppliers as it moves from development to commercial deployment at scale.

Why Maybrook Law

We are a boutique London firm that combines the standards of international practice with the continuity of a specialist firm. From the first call to completion, clients work directly with experienced lawyers who understand both their technology and their business. AI matters often cut across our Commercial & Technology, Intellectual Property, Employment & Incentives, Corporate & Finance⁠ and Dispute Resolution, and we bring them together in one team.