With the Data Governance Act (DGA) and the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), the European Union is setting new standards for the handling of data and artificial intelligence (AI). Both sets of rules are designed to promote innovation, strengthen privacy protection and create a legally secure framework for the European internal market. But what do these regulations mean for Swiss companies? In this blog, we explain what you need to be aware of in order to act in a legally compliant manner.

For Swiss companies that operate in the EU or work with data from EU citizens, it is essential to know and comply with the requirements of both these laws.

The Data Governance Act (DGA)

The DGA is a law designed to promote data sharing in the EU while also ensuring data protection and data sovereignty. The aim is to create a European data economy that enables innovation and prevents the misuse of sensitive data. In detail, this means that companies and authorities should be able to share data more easily, but under clearly defined conditions. Data brokers are subject to strict requirements.

Swiss companies must ensure that data transfer between Switzerland and the EU meets the requirements of the DGA. In addition, you must check legal compliance, i.e. whether the transparency and security requirements of the DGA are met when you process data relating to EU citizens.

The Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA)

The EU's AI Regulation sets out clear rules for the development, deployment and marketing of AI systems. The approach is risk-based: The greater the risk of an AI application, the stricter the requirements. Applications that violate fundamental rights (e.g. social scoring) are prohibited. AI systems in critical areas, such as medicine, justice or employment, are also subject to strict requirements in terms of security, transparency and monitoring. Chatbots, on the other hand, only require basic transparency measures and pose a rather lower risk, but users must always be informed that they are interacting with an AI.

Action recommendations for Swiss companies

• Check internal processes for compliance with the DGA and AIA.
• Define clear guidelines for handling data and ensure that data transfer meets legal requirements.
• Implement an AI framework based on transparency and risk management.
• Train employees in data protection, AI compliance and regulatory requirements in order to minimise risks.

Are you ready for a secure future?

With a clear compliance strategy and the use of innovative technologies, you can not only minimise risks, but also seize opportunities and remain competitive in the long term. We are happy to support you in this.