Elevating AI Oversight: the Crucial Role of Regulatory Sandboxes and Competent Authorities under the AI Act

  • Panel
  • Orangerie
  • Thursday 22.05 — 16:00 - 17:15

Organising Institution

FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute

Belgium

  • Academic 2
  • Business 2
  • Policy 2
The EU AI Act introduces regulatory sandboxes to foster innovation while ensuring compliance. However, the legal framework surrounding these sandboxes requires careful analysis. A key challenge is determining how these sandboxes will be supervised and by which authorities. This issue is intricately linked to the broader oversight structure of the AI Act, particularly the role of market surveillance authorities, which must be designated by Member States by August 2025. An equally pressing issue is the involvement of data protection authorities when personal data is processed within these sandboxes. This panel will examine how Member States can establish regulatory sandboxes that align with their oversight frameworks, foster effective collaboration between market surveillance and data protection authorities, and achieve a balance between innovation and robust supervision, ensuring regulatory sandboxes effectively support AI development while adhering to the AI Act’s provisions.

Questions to be answered

  1. Which competent authorities should oversee sandboxes, and what roles should market surveillance authorities play?
  2. How can data protection authorities be effectively integrated into sandboxes when personal data is being processed?
  3. How can companies concern, such as intellectual property and confidentiality issues, be addressed so that trust can be built between them and regulators in the sandbox?
  4. How could civil society be meaningfully integrated into the sandbox, and what role should it assume?

Moderator

Nathan Genicot

FARI - AI for the Common Good Institute - Belgium

Nathan Genicot holds a PhD in law, and is a researcher at the Perelman Centre for Legal Philosophy (ULB, Brussels) and at the VUB’s LSTS Research Group. He conducts research in law and AI, including on AI regulatory sandboxes.

Speaker

Thiago Moraes

LSTS (VUB) - Belgium

Thiago Moraes is a joint-degree Ph.D. Candidate in Law at University of Brasilia (UnB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) and a PhD fellow of the Digital Governance cluster at the United Nations University’s Institute on Comparative Regional Integrated Studies (UNU-CRIS). He holds a LLM in Law & Technology (Tilburg University), MSc in Information Sciences, and two Bachelors, one in Law and another in Network Engineering (UnB). Currently, he works as a Specialist in Data Protection and AI Governance at the Brazilian Data Protection Authority (ANPD). He has previously worked as Coordinator of Innovation and Research and was the first Data Protection Officer of ANPD. Thiago is co-founder and councilor of the Laboratory of Public Policy and Internet – LAPIN. CIPM, CIPT, CIPP/E, CDPO/BR.

Speaker

Moltzau Alex

European Commission (AI Office) - Europe

Alex Moltzau joined the European AI Office in the European Commission the day it went live, as a Policy Officer Seconded National Expert sent from the Norwegian Ministry of Digitalisation and Governance to DG CNECT A2 Artificial Intelligence Regulation and Compliance. In addition to his role at Commission he is also a Visiting Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge and was recently a guest speaker at Harvard Law School. He mainly works on AI regulatory sandboxes and works directly to coordinate this subgroup within the confines of the AI Board. Furthermore, he recently undertook the work in the AI Pact including gathering the signatories of the commitments for proactive implementation of the AI Act.

Speaker

Sophie Tomlinson

Datasphere Initiative - United Kingdom

Sophie Tomlinson is the Director Programs at the Datasphere Initiative, a think-do tank, with expertise on data governance and sandboxes. She is an experienced policy professional with a background in technology policy, international trade and development. Sophie previously led the stakeholder engagement strategy at the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and worked as Deputy Director, Global Policy at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) where she led work on sustainable development and digital transformation. Sophie joined the ICC Digital Economy team in 2014 where she developed policy and communication strategies on internet governance, privacy and data protection as well as cybersecurity, emerging technology and digital trade.

Speaker

Sam Jungyun Choi

Covington & Burling - United Kingdom

Recognized by Law.com International as a Rising Star (2023), Sam Jungyun Choi is an associate in the technology regulatory group in Brussels. She advises leading multinationals on European and UK data protection law and new regulations and policy relating to innovative technologies, such as AI, digital health, gaming, and autonomous vehicles. Sam is an expert on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act, having advised on these laws since they started to apply. In recent years, her work has evolved to include advising companies on new data and digital laws in the EU, including the AI Act, Data Act, and the Digital Services Act.