What’s happening
Companies are embedding automated checks in finance, security and data systems. Regulators are exploring machine-readable rules, but most compliance still relies on periodic review.
Timing: LATER — roughly 5–10 years before this becomes structural.
Why it matters
As AI makes decisions at machine speed, after-the-fact oversight is too slow. Governance has to move into the systems themselves.
What would make it real
- Regulators accept continuous automated compliance evidence
- Machine-readable versions of key regulations
- Fewer compliance failures and lower audit costs
What would kill it
- Automated rules too rigid for real-world exceptions
- Errors in coded rules cause widespread problems
- Legal systems require human judgment