For years, I’ve worked at the intersection of public policy, technology, and governance writing regulatory responses, building coalitions, designing cross-sector partnerships, and managing compliance efforts. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: this work is high-stakes, deeply human but also extremely repetitive.
That last part is where AI comes in.
We’re on the verge of a shift. Just as AI is reshaping industries like law, education, and customer service, it has the potential to revolutionize how we approach policy, regulation, compliance, and public engagement in the tech sector and beyond. Not by replacing people, but by giving us tools that:
1. Supercharge Research
- AI can scan, summarize, and prioritize thousands of pages of legislation, policy papers, and regulatory changes in minutes.
- It can track global developments and surface the ones that matter most to a particular organization or sector.
2. Streamline Drafting
- Drafting public consultation responses, coalition statements, and internal briefings is time-consuming.
- AI tools can create solid first drafts, grounded in precedent and aligned with tone and values — allowing humans to focus on strategy and nuance.
3. Enable Multilingual Engagement
- In Europe and many other jurisdictions, working across languages is essential.
- AI-enabled translation ensures greater speed, consistency, and accessibility for policy teams engaging in global dialogue.
4. Enhance Compliance and Transparency
- AI can help create auditable workflows for engagement tracking, regulatory filings, and compliance documentation.
- It can map obligations under complex frameworks like the EU AI Act, Digital Services Act, or data protection regimes and ensure those obligations are embedded into workflows.
5. Map and Strengthen Stakeholder Relationships
- Understanding who to engage, and how, is vital in shaping effective, inclusive policy.
- AI can visualize networks across governments, think tanks, research groups, and civil society surfacing insights and opportunities for collaboration.
My Work in This Space
I’ve been helping bring this vision to life by supporting the development of a Policy AI in Ireland a multidisciplinary initiative that merges policy, legal, and AI talent to build:
- Real-time regulatory monitoring tools
- AI-assisted drafting and multilingual content generation
- Stakeholder engagement tracking platforms
- Systems to support scalable, auditable compliance
This is not just a tech project. It’s about modernizing how governance itself works and ensuring that the institutions shaping the future of AI are as agile, informed, and impactful as the technologies they oversee.
As we navigate the future of AI regulation, data governance, and digital rights, I believe AI can help us do more not just faster, but better.
If you’re working at the same intersection policy, tech, compliance, governance, I’d love to connect.
In the meantime check out Shipyard’s AI start up.
