As AI and other emerging technologies rapidly reshape industries and society, traditional approaches to governance are being tested. This conversation will explore the evolving mix of regulation, standards, independent accountability frameworks, and collaborative approaches shaping technology governance and what it will take for these systems to keep pace. 

As AI development and adoption accelerate, businesses and policy makers are confronting risks that cannot always wait for comprehensive regulation. Standards, certifications, voluntary commitments, and risk management frameworks are increasingly shaping how AI is developed and deployed. This panel will examine which approaches can deliver meaningful accountability, how they interact with government oversight, and where their limits lie. 

Voluntary standards depend on people and organizations choosing to participate—and continuing to do so. This panel brings together two papers that examine what makes that commitment durable. One studies the role of awards in sustaining firms’ engagement with certification standards, drawing on B Lab’s recognition of high-performing B Corps. The other explores why occupational licensing reform encounters resistance rooted in professional identity and considers how voluntary credentials and advisory bodies might preserve professional standing while opening entry. Together, the papers invite a discussion of how recognition, identity, and accountability can shape effective soft-law institutions.

Transportation sectors are approaching safety, innovation, and accountability from very different starting points. In rail, longstanding industry standards and self-regulatory practices operate alongside federal oversight. For autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies, the rules, standards, and accountability mechanisms are still taking shape. 

This panel will examine what established transportation models can teach emerging sectors and how regulation, industry standards, independent verification, and other governance tools can work together to advance safety without slowing innovation. Panelists will examine where government oversight is necessary, where industry-led approaches can add value, and what effective accountability could look like as increasingly autonomous technologies move toward widespread deployment. 

The creator economy is evolving faster than the regulatory and industry frameworks designed to govern it. As creators become an increasingly important part of the advertising ecosystem, how can industry establish meaningful standards that protect consumers, strengthen trust, and support continued growth?  

Bringing together academic, legal, and industry perspectives, the panel will use the creator economy as a real-world case study in how effective self-regulation takes shape. Drawing on research and the Institute for Responsible Influence’s work with creators, brands, and platforms, the discussion will explore how shared standards are developed, put into practice, and sustained in a rapidly evolving marketplace. 

Taking place shortly after the 2026 midterm elections, this closing roundtable will examine what shifting federal and state priorities may mean for regulation, industry standards, and collaborative governance. Using emerging debates around AI and the rapid expansion of data centers as a timely example, panelists will examine where government action may be likely, where industry can play a meaningful role, and how different approaches can work together to address complex policy challenges.