Exit clause The contract terms that decide what you leave with when an AI service ends.
Short answer. An exit clause is the part of a contract that sets how either side can end it and what must happen when it ends: notice periods, termination rights, help with moving to another provider, return of data in usable formats, deletion of copies, and any fees. In an AI contract it decides whether you leave with your documents, chat records and audit logs, or lose them. Microsoft’s India pricing page, for example, notes that when a subscription is cancelled, all associated data will be deleted, so the exit plan has to start before notice is given. The RBI’s 2023 direction on IT outsourcing expects contracts to include termination rights with orderly transfer to another provider, and the EU Data Act caps the notice period for switching cloud providers at two months. This is general information, not legal advice.
01
Terms to include
Term
What to agree
Benchmark
Termination rights
When you can end the contract, including for breach, price changes or the vendor’s insolvency
RBI 2023: termination rights, with orderly transfer to another provider
Notice period
How much notice each side must give
EU Data Act: no more than two months before switching starts
Transition support
The service keeps running and the vendor helps move data
EU Data Act: a transitional period of 30 days, with a longer alternative where technically necessary
Data return
All data, logs and settings, in named open formats
RBI 2023: data completeness and portability
Retrieval window
Time after termination to download data
EU Data Act: at least 30 days
Deletion
Confirmed deletion of all copies, including backups and sub-processors
RBI 2023: secure purge, with independent assurance before signing off
Fees
Any exit or switching charges, stated upfront
EU Data Act: no switching charges from 12 January 2027
02
Points special to AI services
Audit logs: you may need records of who asked what after you leave, to answer a client or regulator.
Training: confirm your data was not used to train models, or how any such use ends.
Custom assistants and fine-tuned models: who owns them, and whether they can be exported.
On-premise hardware: whether the software keeps working if support ends.
03
Before you give notice
Export everything, and check the export opens in another tool.
Have the replacement ready before the old service stops.
Keep a copy of the contract version that applies, including its exit terms.
Get deletion confirmed in writing.
04
On ANVE
As the /security page sets out, every ANVE order includes a perpetual licence for the software delivered with the unit, there is no remote kill switch, and the box keeps working if ANVEAI shuts down. Other exit details, such as deletion, belong in writing before a paid pilot. This page is general information, not legal advice.
05
Questions people ask
Can we leave an annual subscription early?
Only if the contract allows it. Microsoft notes that cancellation policies vary and certain subscriptions may incur a cancellation fee, so read the terms before committing.
What is a transitional period?
Time after notice during which the old service keeps running while you move. The EU Data Act sets a maximum of 30 days for cloud switching, with a longer alternative period where that is technically unfeasible.
Should exit terms cover the vendor going out of business?
Yes. Ask what happens to your data, licences and running systems if the vendor becomes insolvent or stops the product. The RBI expects banks to plan for a provider exiting.
06
What is not real yet
No sealed ANVE unit exists; every image of the appliance on this site is a labelled render. The software runs today on a development machine. No customers yet, no certifications, no delivery date, and the final price is not announced.
Reservations are ₹999 in India or US$12 elsewhere, refundable in full until you confirm an order in writing (terms). Offices that cannot use cloud AI can apply to be one of ten design partners.
