The majority of our clients use generative AI primarily in the form of online services. There are a large number of providers on the market. They all make bold promises, but their contracts are often insufficient. But what should you look out for in such contracts? We cover this in part 15 of our AI blog series.

To get straight to the point: We have compiled the most important aspects to look out for in contracts with providers of AI services in a free checklist. It can be found here in English (and here in German):

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This article is part of a series on the responsible use of AI in companies:

• Part 1: AI at work: The three most important points for employees
• Part 2: Popular AI tools: What about data protection?
• Part 3: AI: 11 principles – and an AI policy for employees
• Part 4: How to assess the risks of both small and large AI projects
• Part 5: AI governance in our company – who is responsible?
• Part 6: The flip side of the coin: Where we need to protect AI from attackers
• Part 7: The EU AI Act - what it means in practice for most companies
• Part 8: AI in financial institutions – opportunities and challenges
• Part 9: AI in marketing: 4 unfair competition law pitfalls
• Part 10: Copyright and AI: Responsibility of providers and users
• Part 11: Fair play with AI: How sports organisations may use athlete data
• Part 12: Feeding AI: How to commercialize data sets
• Part 13: AI in Human Resources
• Part 14: Copyright and AI: How to protect yourself in practice
• Part 15: What you should legally consider when retaining AI providers
• Part 16: How companies can ensure transparency for their use of AI
• Part 17: What is inside an AI model and how it works
• Part 18: The most important compliance requirements for AI
• Part 19: Language models with and without personal data
• Part 20: Risk-based approach: Not all AI applications harbour high risks
• Part 21: The right of access to large language models
• Part 22: Guidelines for using artificial intelligence in financial institutions (FINMA) - VISCHER
• Part 23: Switzerland: What to expect in terms of AI regulation
• Part 24: Five trigger questions for more AI compliance
• Part 25: AI Tools – What about data protection?
• Part 26: AI training: How to Handle Copyright, Data Protection And Other Restrictions
• Part 27: How small and medium-sized enterprises can use AI in a compliant manner
• Part 28: When Media Houses and AI Providers clash – the Pitfalls of AI Regulation
• Part 29: The Challenges of Achieving AI User Adoption
• Part 30: Overview of Key EU Digital Regulations
• Part 31: AI Tools – What about data protection? (2026)
• to be continued...

We support you with all legal and ethical issues relating to the use of artificial intelligence. We don't just talk about AI, we also use it ourselves. You can find more of our resources and publications on this topic here.