Biography
AI | Technology | IP Technology Innovation Lawyer: Tectonic shifts in information technology infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and intellectual property are rewriting the rules of business and law in ways that conventional legal methodologies and technology structures were not built to address. William A. (Bill) Tanenbaum provides a lens that enables business and legal teams to identify legal issues in their business objectives, make legally informed decisions to gain a competitive advantage, and manage the risks of these tectonic changes. Bill is Chair of the AI & Data Law Practice (founded in 2020) at Moses & Singer in New York and a Technology, IP, and Cyber partner at the firm. He has a “national reputation” in technology, is a “leading name” in AI, a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in Data (one of only five U.S. lawyers), an “IP Star,” and one of the “Top 10 Pioneering Tech Lawyers Shaping NY’s Legal Landscape.” Before joining Moses & Singer, Bill was Head of IP and Technology Transactions at a Big Law firm; Co-Head of Health Care Technology at a large national firm; and a partner in an international IP law firm. His understanding of data science distinguishes his practice from others in the field. He handles IT agreements, IP issues, licensing training data and represents companies in deals with Big Tech companies and international firms doing AI and other business in the U.S. Professional Rankings: Bill is ranked in the top tiers of his fields by Chambers (Technology and Outsourcing), Lexology (AI and Data), Legal 500 (Cybersecurity), Lawdragon (AI 100), Managing IP (one of the “World Leading IP Strategists” and an “IP Star”), and IMG (“Life Sciences Star”). Technology: Chambers recognizes Bill as a “prominent figure in technology and outsourcing” with “a solid national reputation” who is “well-recognized” for “successfully navigating negotiations,” his “deft handling of commercial deals relating to cutting-edge technologies” and for “bringing extremely high integrity, a deep intellect, fearlessness and a practical, real-world mindset to every problem.” Lexology finds that his depth of experience in “technology transactions put him at the very top of the market” and that he is “a font of knowledge in creating new IT structures.” Bill co-chairs PLI’s annual Outsourcing Conference. AI and Data: Bill’s practice focuses on the legal architecture of AI and data commercialization, AI agreements and vendor performance standards, data as the supply chain for AI, AI regulatory compliance, and structuring legal frameworks for AI-driven decision-making. Bill’s Retail AI practice focuses on AI shopping agents and the legal frameworks required when AI is embedded directly into core retail business operations and autonomous decision-making. He is known for his success “in handling innovative technologies such as cybersecurity, IoT and AI” (Chambers). Bill chairs PLI’s annual Data & AI Conference and was selected to host PLI’s AI & Data Law Podcast Series. Signature Frameworks for AI and IT: Bill’s decades of experience advising companies through successive waves of disruptive technology exposed a consistent failure: existing legal frameworks could not keep pace with the business realities of emerging technology. His five signature frameworks were developed to fill that gap — each addressing a specific dimension of AI and IT deployment that conventional legal practice leaves unresolved. Tanenbaum Decision Rights Licensing Model. A new approach to commercializing data, built around a redefined scope of use, that governs how data can be used as AI training data. Decision Integrity. Traditional SaaS agreements are built for deterministic software, where uptime serves as a proxy for accuracy. AI is probabilistic, and vendor performance cannot be measured by outputs alone. Bill developed a methodology to assess the integrity of the AI systems that produce outcomes in order to determine their reliability. AI Aperture Governance Framework. Named for the way adjusting a camera’s aperture brings critical details into focus, the AI Aperture framework identifies the legal risks and governance issues that must be addressed when companies deploy AI in business-critical operations. AI Governance and Vendor Agreements. When companies retain AI vendors, the vendors exercise operational control over core business operations, but liability remains with the company. Drawing on his deep outsourcing experience, Bill structures AI governance frameworks and vendor agreements that allow companies to capture the operational advantages of delegating decisions to AI while managing the legal and regulatory risks that remain with the enterprise. Data as Infrastructure. Data is no longer simply a reporting tool. In agentic AI, it is operational infrastructure because its functionality is to drive decisions, trigger actions, and determine outcomes. Bill guides companies in governing, structuring, and contracting for data in this new role. Healthcare Technology: Chambers finds Bill’s technology approach and understanding of healthcare is “a winning combination.” Chambers selected him as Editor of its Global Practice Guide to Digital Healthcare. Bill founded and chairs PLI’s annual Healthcare Technology Conference. Litigation and Arbitration: Bill “has strong litigation experience” with victories in the District Court in the landmark Alice patent case and in IP cases before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the highest U.S. IP court. He is a peer-selected member of the List of the World’s Leading Technology Arbitrators and Mediators, administered by the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center. Thought Leadership and Professional Recognition: Chambers selected Bill as the Global Expert & Contributing Editor of its Global Practice Guides to AI and to Digital Healthcare. He chairs or co-chairs PLI’s annual conferences on Data & AI, Outsourcing, and Healthcare Technology, and was selected to host PLI’s AI & Data Law Podcast Series. He is a Past President of the International Technology Law Association, named “Lawyer of the Year” in IT in New York by US News & World Report, and Vice-Chair of the Data Subcommittee of the International Bar Association’s Technology Law Committee. AI Aperture Series: “Bringing Legal AI Issues into Focus” — William A. (Bill) Tanenbaum’s publication series examines the governance and legal risk issues companies must address when deploying AI in business-critical operations. The Series takes its name from the AI Aperture Governance Framework, which identifies the legal risks that must be brought into focus before AI deployment. Education: He graduated from Brown University (Phi Beta Kappa, degree with highest honors) and Cornell Law School (a “notable alumnus” for his “pioneering work in technology law”). Bill is also a graduate of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, which some may find either reassuring or alarming. Attorney Advertising Bar/Court Admissions
Recognition
Presentations
Publications
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Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
- Cornell University Law School (J.D.)
- Brown University (A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, degree with highest honors)
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- New York State
- Past President of the International Technology Law Association
- “Lawyer of the Year” in Information Technology Law in New York, US News & World Report/Best Lawyers (named in 2013, as one of the first lawyers awarded this ranking)
- One of the “Top 10 Pioneering Tech Lawyers Shaping New York's Legal Landscape” (Business Insider)
- Chambers and Partners “Best Lawyers for Business: Global, U.S., and New York top-tier rankings in Technology and Outsourcing (since 2003)”
- “Thought Leader Global Elite” in Data (one of only five U.S. lawyers), Lexology (formerly Who’s Who Legal)
- Lexology named him as “Leading Name in AI” and an expert “go-to” lawyer in data
- In addition, Lexology ranks him as “Thought Leader” and “Recommended” in Information Data, Technology, Data Security, and Data Privacy & Protection at the Global and U.S. levels (ranked since the inaugural edition)
- Lawdragon “100 Leading AI and Legal Tech Advisers Guide”
- “Strong litigation experience,” Lexology; victory at District Court level in landmark Alice patent case and victories at the U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit (the highest patent court); represented European clients in U.S. litigations
- Founder and Chair or Co-Chair of the Practising [sic] Law Institute’s annual conferences on AI & Data Law, Outsourcing and Healthcare Technology Law
- Host of the Practising Law Institute’s “AI & Data Law” Podcast Series
- Member of the Technology Committee of the International Bar Association and Vice-Chair of the Data Subcommittee
- IAM Strategy 300, “The World’s Leading IP Strategists”
- “IP Star,” Managing IP
- “Life Science Star,” LMG Life Sciences
- Legal columnist Dataversity (an organization of data professionals)
- Best Lawyers in America (Information Technology Law, since 2001)
- Peer-elected member of “The World’s Leading Technology Neutrals [Arbitrators]” (also known as “The Tech List”) administered by the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center
- Selected for Inclusion in the 2025 edition of Who’s Who in America
- Speaker at PLI’s annual Data & AI, Outsourcing, and Health Care Technology Conferences.
- Speaker at PLI’s annual Internet of Things and IP Licensing Conferences
- American Bar Association Forum on Entertainment and Sports and Intellectual Property, speaker on AI for Business Aspects of Entertainment Companies
- The only legal speaker at the Enterprise Data World Conferences
- The following are in addition to the publications listed in the drop-down menu in the “Publications” section of this website.
- “AI Aperture – Bringing AI Legal Issues into Focus,” his own publication series
- “Updating AI Vendor Agreements: Why AI Requires Evaluating the Processes that Generate Outcomes,” Lexology 2026
- “How Machine Data and AI Agents Change Product Visibility, Purchases, and the Legal Framework in Retail AI,” Lexology 2026
- See Chambers and Partners’ Global Practice Guides in the “Recognition” section above.
- Dataversity Monthly Legal Columnist; examples of articles include: “A New Data Licensing Model “(Decision Rights”); “Protecting Against AI Risks in NDAs;” “In AI, Data Itself is the Supply Chain” (with co-author Issac Greaney); Current Leading U.S. AI Laws,” “Data Centers in Space (with co-author Robert Rosenberg)
- DeepSeek’s Legal and Cross-Cultural Risks and Benefits", NYLJ March 7, 2025, co-authored with Dr. Matthias Orthwein
- “Advising Healthcare Technology Companies: Buying Technology to Build Technology,” PLI Chronicle: Insights and Perspectives for the Legal Community (co-author)