What Would It Take to Make Regulatory Learning Systematic?
If regulation of rapidly evolving technology should function as a learning system rather than static enforcement, what infrastructure, incentives, and coordination mechanisms would that require?
Current learning mechanisms in complex regulations (sandboxes, post-market monitoring, delegated acts, periodic review) are fragmented. Learnings from enforcement in one sector don’t systematically flow to standards development. Sandbox experiences in one jurisdiction don’t inform meta-level revisions elsewhere. Individual organizations learn in isolation.
The question implies follow-on questions:
- Who should be responsible for synthesizing patterns across learning arenas?
- What information exchange standards would enable cross-actor learning?
- How do you prevent “regulatory learning” from becoming regulatory capture by well-resourced participants?
- What role should affected stakeholders play, given their limited formal status?
- How do you balance adaptiveness with the predictability regulated parties need?
Related: 05-molecule—regulatory-learning-space-framework, 05-molecule—regulation-as-learning-framework, 07-molecule—interoperability-as-governance-infrastructure