AI, Privacy, and Innovation: Navigating Global Regulatory Challenges

Craig Schwartz is the Head of Legal at Covariant, an AI and robotics company out of Berkeley. He is a veteran tech lawyer with 20 years of experience at the intersection of emerging technology and regulated markets. Craig previously worked for Palantir Technologies, where he led the USG Partnerships team and served as Lead Counsel for the Intelligence Community business. Now at Covariant, Craig is part of a team building foundational models for the physical world, focusing on automation and AI integration in industrial settings. In this episode… Europe's aging workforce is fueling a growing demand for automated labor solutions, with US-based AI robotics companies stepping in to fill the gap. But this trend isn't just about technological innovation. For US-based companies entering the European market, success in this landscape requires a deep understanding of product capabilities and the global regulatory environment. To stay ahead, companies must make informed decisions on ethical AI use and on how to handle data — from collection to storage to use — without stepping on any global regulatory toes.  With emerging regulations like the EU AI Act and Internet of Things (IoT) legislation, it's now more important than ever for companies to integrate privacy considerations into product design from the start. By adopting privacy-by-design principles early on, companies like Covariant can meet anticipated global compliance requirements and create operational efficiencies, demonstrating their proactive approach to these regulatory challenges. In this week's episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels chat with Craig Schwartz, the Head of Legal at Covariant, who shares invaluable insights on navigating the complex intersection of AI, robotics, and international privacy regulations. Craig explains the steps Covariant takes to stay ahead of global privacy regulations. He also discusses the critical need for legal professionals in tech to immerse themselves in technical product knowledge, the challenges of applying existing global privacy laws, such as GDPR, to cutting-edge technologies, and the potential impact of antitrust policies on innovation in the AI space.