The Registrar is on site in Wellington, New Zealand, covering key highlights and insights from CLEAR’s 8th International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation.
The speed and scale of recent advancements in artificial intelligence have pushed regulators into unfamiliar territory.
At CLEAR’s International Congress, Paul Byrne offered a compelling look at what this shift means for society and for those responsible for protecting the public in an era of rapid technological change.
Byrne’s presentation, followed by a fireside chat with Melissa Peneycad, examined how regulators can navigate a world where AI is reshaping work, amplifying capability, and introducing risks not yet fully understood.
Byrne began by situating AI within a long lineage of disruptive technologies. Unlike past industrial revolutions that unfolded over decades, he warned that AI represents “a massive change in society in an incredibly short period of time.”
He pointed to the speed of adoption and the exponential growth in AI incidents, reflected in OECD tracking data, as evidence that regulators are facing a transformation already in motion. Drawing parallels to past societal shifts, from the printing press to fossil fuel economies, he emphasized the pattern of benefits, unintended consequences, and delayed regulatory response.
The opportunities are significant. AI is already reshaping diagnostics, research and drug discovery. Byrne cited examples where retrospective imaging analysis has identified misdiagnosed cancer cases and saved lives. Yet he urged regulators to look at the full spectrum of impacts, including workforce disruption. Sectors such as law, programming and accounting are already seeing hiring shifts as AI performs work once assigned to new graduates.
Byrne also drew attention to historical lessons about technology’s societal fallout. He cautioned that AI carries duality. There’s extraordinary capability paired with unpredictable consequences. He noted alarming real-world test cases underscoring the pace at which emerging systems can bypass human expectations.
As part of his forward-looking framework, Byrne introduced three guiding principles for regulators:
- Professional competence: AI should only be used within a practitioner’s scope, even when tools appear to expand capability.
- Ethical implications: Systems inherit human bias unless rigorously tested and monitored.
- Explainability and accountability: “AI decisions should be clear, transparent, accountable,” he said, emphasizing the need for sandboxing, bias testing and auditable logic.
In the fireside chat, Melissa Peneycad asked Byrne about the future of public protection and the tension between regulatory caution and innovation.
When asked whether regulators are moving too slowly or too quickly, Byrne acknowledged the uncertainty: “There is no real right or wrong answer.” What matters, he said, is that regulators begin embedding foundational literacy and governance practices now, ahead of the regulatory frameworks that will inevitably follow.
Byrne closed with a reminder drawn from decades of technological disasters. Meaningful regulatory change often follows crisis. He urged regulators to act before this moment arrives. “We stand at this point in time where we know this is coming,” he said. “We are in a privileged position. We can mitigate a lot of these risks.”
This session reinforced the message that regulators must stay curious, build capability, and remain vigilant. AI promises extraordinary advances, but without proactive governance, the costs may be just as significant.
As part of this work, CLEAR has released two foundational resources to support regulators in building their own AI readiness.
These tools offer shared language, common concepts and practical guidance that can help regulators navigate emerging systems with confidence and clarity.
8th International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR)
Congress Presenter: Paul Byrne, Executive Director of Education, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, Medical Council of Ireland
Moderator: Melissa Peneycad, Director, Public Engagement & AI Strategy, MDR Strategy Group
