/
Data Protection as a Location Factor in Germany?
New contact point for artificial intelligence and the digital economy at the Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision (BayLDA)

Many people are concerned that the various EU regulations in the digital sector may impede technical development. Due to the new, sometimes still unclear requirements, these could potentially even block new technologies. The Bavarian Data Protection Authority (Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht, abbr. BayLDA) intends to provide greater clarity. In its press release dated 16 January 2025, it publishes the establishment of a new point of contact. This department is supposed to provide tailored assistance and support in the day-to-day application of the new data laws. The BayLDA is aware that the new legal regulations, including and in particular their correlation, raise a multitude of questions. For example, companies can receive advice on how the correlation between the AI Act and the Data Act may be resolved. The BayLDA provides a comprehensive service to answer such questions. This includes “AI advice” (“KI-Beratung”), which is mainly addressed at start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as sponsors of research projects. If the BayLDA manages to provide advice within a reasonable timeframe with the available personnel resources, advice from data protection authorities could become a location factor for AI-driven projects in Germany.