Faster scientific progress makes it harder for governance to keep pace with development
Exacerbating these problems is that faster scientific progress would make it even harder for governance to keep pace with the deployment of new technologies. When these technologies are especially powerful or dangerous, such as those discussed above, insufficient governance can magnify their harms.8 This is known as the pacing problem, and it is an issue that technology governance already faces [47], for a variety of reasons
ENTITY
3 - Other
INTENT
2 - Unintentional
TIMING
3 - Other
Risk ID
mit889
Domain lineage
6. Socioeconomic and Environmental
6.5 > Governance failure
Mitigation strategy
1. Implement robust **Technology Foresight** and **Anticipatory Governance** mechanisms to proactively identify, assess, and establish preliminary guardrails for emerging technologies before their widespread market penetration. 2. Transition to **Adaptive and Iterative Regulation**, employing **Outcome-based** and **Principle-based** frameworks to ensure the regulatory system remains resilient and relevant against the continuous and rapid evolution of technology. 3. Foster **Multi-Stakeholder Collaborative/Co-regulation** and integrate **Soft Law Mechanisms** (e.g., voluntary standards, codes of practice) to leverage industry expertise and rapidly deploy flexible, non-prescriptive governance instruments that complement formal legal structures.