German Podcast Episode #217: Rahuls Schlüsselerfolge als Senior IT Counsel seit 2010

Neha: Welcome to the fourth episode of our
mini-series on Rahul’s key achievements as Senior IT Counsel!
Today’s focus is proactive regulatory competence. Rahul, you
often emphasize how critical it is to stay ahead of regulatory
developments. Could you elaborate using the EU AI Act as an
example?


Rahul: Absolutely, Neha. Take the EU GDPR 2018:
Companies like Microsoft adapted globally in time and avoided
penalties, while Google was fined €50 million by France’s CNIL
for failing transparency requirements. This exact
"forward-thinking" is what I applied to the EU AI Act – similar
to banks that implemented Basel III capital rules early to avoid
last-minute chaos. Or companies that preempted California’s CCPA
in 2019 instead of facing state attorney general investigations
in 2020.


Neha: Fascinating! You’re drawing parallels here
to financial and data protection regulations. How exactly did you
operationalize this foresight at your former employers? After
all, the company serves EU clients subject to the AI Act from
2025 onward.


Rahul: I led a task force to self-assess all AI
tools against the Act’s anticipated requirements. We classified
one tool for healthcare hiring decisions as "high-risk."
Proactively, we rolled out transparency features – like
explaining to users how the AI makes decisions – and bias
mitigation. Simultaneously, we compiled the technical
documentation on training data and accuracy mandated by the Act.
Result: Once audits begin in 2026, my former company will be
prepared and can even market itself as "EU AI Act-ready."


Neha: That’s a clear competitive edge! You imply
competitors who ignored this will face market disadvantages…


Rahul: Exactly. Compare it to MetLife or Thomson
Reuters – my former employers using "GDPR-compliant" as a trust
signal. At my former company, competitors who didn’t prepare will
likely have to withdraw AI systems until proving compliance. That
means reputational damage and lost EU clients – while my former
company avoided regulatory disruptions.


Neha: You also mention "soft" frameworks like
OECD AI Principles or ISO 42001. How do you integrate these?


Rahul: By tracking regulatory signals early – be
it EU guidelines evolving into law or the EU Commission’s
Q&As on the AI Act. I even monitor US developments like
Illinois’ 2020 AI Video Interview Act. Those who implemented
consent for AI interviews early escaped investigations. This
aligns with GDPR’s "accountability" principle (Article 5(2)) and
reduces legal exposure while creating business opportunities –
e.g., in ESG metrics, where regulatory readiness is a governance
criterion.
Neha: In summary: Proactive compliance isn’t a
cost factor but a strategic lever for competitiveness and
regulatory resilience. Thank you, Rahul – once again, highly
insightful!


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Read German text here:


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oEspwKpwMcjlN5BkId5-KTNIs7pywqDbp8g1lYnU2fg/edit?tab=t.0


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