Artificial Intelligence and Its Interplay with M&A: A Techno Legal Perspective for In House Counsel

January 1970

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping full mergers and acquisitions lifecycle, from strategy and deal origination through due diligence, valuation, execution, integration and post closing dispute management. Traditional AI, Generative AI and emerging Agentic AI systems are now embedded in legal, financial and strategic workstreams, creating both new value pools and novel risk vectors for in house counsels. The International In House Counsel Journal audience sits at the nexus of these developments, as users of AI enabled tools within corporate legal departments and as gatekeepers for transactions involving AI rich targets. This paper offers a techno legal framework for understanding how different classes of AI technologies interact with the M&A process and what this means for governance, accountability, cost, security and deal documentation across US, European and Indian contexts. A recurring theme is professional responsibility: in-house counsel cannot delegate ultimate accountability to software, and the frameworks in this paper are designed to help legal teams remain squarely in command of AI-assisted processes.

Authors

Pallavi Puri

Partner, DMD Advocates, India

Pallavi Puri is a Partner at DMD Advocates and works with the Corporate Group. She has over 21 years of experience and specializes in M&A, private equity investments, and general corporate commercial.

Rajan Gupta

Director- Data Science & AI/ML, Artificial Intelligence & Innovation (AI&I) Lab, UAT, Mexico, India

Dr. Rajan Gupta is an AI professional with over 15 years of experience in AI/ML product and services delivery, analytical research, consulting and training across sectors such as EdTech, HealthTech, Telecom, Retail and Manufacturing. He focuses on conceptualising and implementing Generative and Agentic AI initiatives to solve data problems that drive business growth and optimisation. He holds a doctorate and post doctorate in Data Science and AI/ML and has authored more than 125 publications, including seven books and numerous research papers in technology and management, with recent work exploring machine unlearning, algorithmic governance and responsible AI in enterprise settings. He is the recipient of multiple awards and industry recognitions, including AI Makers 100 and 40 Under 40 Data Scientists, and is among the first Certified Analytics Professionals from India in the INFORMS ecosystem, having also served as CAP Ambassador for the Asia region and holding GStat accreditation from the American Statistical Association.

Companies

DMD Advocates

DMD Advocates is a leading full-service law firm with a team of more than 110 lawyers, including 30 partners/directors, and a pan-India presence.

Artificial Intelligence & Innovation (AI&I) Lab, UAT, Mexico

The Artificial Intelligence and Innovation (AI&I) Lab at the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas (UAT) in Mexico is a key research center focused on developing, testing, and implementing advanced AI solutions. Directed by Dr. Fernando Ortiz-Rodriguez, the lab focuses on applied AI, semantic web, e-government, and IoT, playing a significant role in Mexico's technological innovation.