German Podcast Episode #223: Rahuls Schlüsselerfolge als Senior IT Counsel seit 2010

Neha: Hello dear listeners! A warm welcome to a new episode of
our mini-series about Rahul's key achievements as Senior IT
Counsel since 2010. Today we're focusing on international AI
governance – a field requiring deep cross-border expertise.
Rahul, you collaborated with teams in Germany, India, and the USA
to shape global AI governance. What makes this cross-border
collaboration so complex?


Rahul: The core lies in the extremely divergent legal frameworks,
Neha. Compare just the EU with its strict AI approach, India's
data protection laws still emerging until 2023, and the
fragmented US regulatory environment. A prime example: WhatsApp's
challenges in 2021 – the EU enforced privacy policy changes while
Indian regulators questioned the same policy. Genuine
collaboration can cushion such divergences.


Neha: Fascinating! You mentioned sharing
knowledge through company-wide GDPR implementation. How does this
create a unified foundation?


Rahul: By establishing GDPR as a global
benchmark – even for India and the US. Another key issue: Data
transfers post-"Schrems II". We formed task forces to manage
EU-India/US transfers via Standard Contractual Clauses. That's
lived legal collaboration.


Neha: This extends beyond pure legal aspects,
right? You mentioned cultural differences, like employee
involvement.


Rahul: Exactly! German works councils must be
consulted for AI monitoring – not required in India. I ensured
German requirements like employee notifications were respected
worldwide. Similar to how Microsoft extended GDPR rights
globally.


Neha: Let's explore your practical example. At
your former company with customers and stakeholders in Germany
and the USA – how did you structure AI governance?


Rahul: The Bi-national "AI Governance Council"
with legal and technical experts from both regions was crucial.
Together we developed a unified policy aligned with the strictest
standard – GDPR plus the upcoming EU AI Act as baseline.


Neha: What advantage did this offer regions with
more lenient laws like India at that time?


Rahul: Even the Indian office followed high
privacy and transparency standards – though not locally required.
This prevented fragmentation and prepared us for new laws like
India's DPDP Act 2023.


Neha: How did knowledge exchange work concretely
in the council?


Rahul: The German team shared DPIA methods for
AI, and the US team shared NIST risk management practices. This
ensured AI models were built to GDPR principles from inception –
no retrofitting needed.


Neha: Practical benefit during problems? Say, a
bias incident in Germany.


Rahul: Precisely! If bias was detected in
Germany through an AI audit, the global team used these findings
for preventive correction in all regions. This avoided potential
US lawsuits or Indian regulatory proceedings – global synergy
instead of silos.


Neha: Which legal foundations support this
approach?


Rahul: No direct "collaboration law," but: GDPR
became a de facto global standard. OECD AI Principles and GPAI
promote international ethics consistency. We leveraged these
"soft laws" to create internal policies meeting Germany's
strictness while influencing India/US early.


Neha: How do you respond to different
supervisory bodies – EU Data Protection Board, India's new Data
Protection Authority,or US’s  FTC?


Rahul: A unified global policy is key here! It
demonstrates we apply high standards worldwide. Also regarding
employee rights: We reduced disparities between German
co-determination and US regulations – minimizing conflict risks.


Neha: So fundamentally: Leadership through
proactive harmonization?


Rahul: Yes! We smoothed regulatory differences
and were prepared when laws caught up in more lenient
jurisdictions. This forward-looking risk management builds trust
with regulators – potentially even milder sanctions if issues
arise.


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Read German text here:


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oEspwKpwMcjlN5BkId5-KTNIs7pywqDbp8g1lYnU2fg/edit?usp=sharing


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