Dr Nils Lölfing

Senior Counsel, Bird & Bird

I am Senior Counsel in Bird & Bird’s Technology & Communications Sector Group in Germany. I help companies bring AI systems to the European market and operate them in line with the EU AI Act, the GDPR and product regulation. In more than thirteen years as a tech, AI and data lawyer, I have advised clients in life sciences, healthcare, automotive and technology.

Clients come to me for AI Act classification and compliance, for example for high-risk systems. I design AI governance frameworks (policies, risk assessments, internal controls) that cover the AI Act alongside data protection, product law and contractual risk. I also advise on AI contracting (development, licensing, procurement), GDPR across the AI lifecycle, and product safety and liability for AI-enabled systems.

My background in European and German product safety law, including extensive work before market surveillance authorities, shapes how I approach the AI Act, which is built on product safety principles. Much of my practice sits where the two regimes meet, in particular where AI is embedded in regulated products.

My work spans generative AI and, increasingly, agentic systems, where accountability, human oversight and system boundaries raise harder legal questions. My aim is advice that works in practice: in the contract, in the system design and in the organisation.

I co-edited the International Handbook of AI Law (Wolters Kluwer, 2025), am general editor of the Chambers Artificial Intelligence Guide and speak regularly at international conferences. Legal directories recognise my AI work, including the Lexology Index (which lists me as “Highly Recommended” for AI).

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Key EU AI issues for manufacturers—EU AI Act

Practice Notes

This Practice Note is the first in a two-part series providing a practical overview of the key EU law issues that artificial intelligence (AI) raises for manufacturers. The series is intended for commercial lawyers rather than specialists and covers AI developed, procured or used in manufacturing operations, as well as AI embedded in products placed on the EU market.This first Practice Note focuses on the key provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act or EU AI Act, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 on the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence, the Digital Omnibus on AI.For more information on the historical progress of the EU AI Act proposal through the legislative process and for information on its implementation, see Practice Notes: EU artificial intelligence—key developments tracker and EU artificial intelligence—horizon scanner.For a detailed review of the key provisions of the EU AI Act, see Practice Notes: Introduction to the EU AI Act—foundations and scope, Introduction to the

EU Law

Key EU AI issues for manufacturers—regulatory framework, enforcement, contracting and practical

Practice Notes

This Practice Note is the second in a two-part series providing a practical overview of the key EU law issues that artificial intelligence (AI) raises for manufacturers. The series is intended for commercial lawyers rather than specialists and covers AI developed, procured or used in manufacturing operations, as well as AI embedded in products placed on the EU market.This second Practice Note considers EU AI Act enforcement and supply-chain contracting, alongside the wider EU regulatory framework, liability and sector-specific considerations.The first Practice Note, Key EU AI issues for manufacturers—EU AI Act, focuses on the key provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act or EU AI Act, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 on the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence, the Digital Omnibus on AI.Regulatory enforcement, liability and litigation riskRegulatory enforcement of the EU AI ActThe provider's post-market monitoring and incident reporting obligations under Articles 72 and 73 of the EU AI Act are discussed

EU Law