Modern Technologies There are modular, fundamentally interoffraged and inter-dependent. This is why one of the most important challenges in regulating them is dealt with complexity. I have long argued for principle-based Regulations– In the belief that, if we express it at a high level of high level of abstraction, our regulatory intention will be applied regardless of the complexity of the inherent technology or developing in that direction.
But modern Technologies Such inseparably integrated with each other and are internal intricate that alone abstract principles may not be sufficient. We need to understand what the complexity works and what should be done to address technologies that really develop rapidly.
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I recently came under a paper title Assembly principle Laroy provides a novel explanation by Cronin who develops and grow complex systems. Even though it is mainly related to chemical systems, the idea in this letter can not only apply to other complex systems, but can also inform how we should regulate them.
Simply put, the assembly theory describes objects by their formation history – defines them in relation to their ‘assembly index’ (which goes to them by stages required to make them from simple components).
One way to think about it is in relation to cooking. I know a simple recipe with just five materials for Biryani that can be cooked in a pressure cooker. It is a simple dish with a low ‘assembly index’. On the other hand, my grandmother passed a biryani recipe, with five pages content, all of which were to be prepared using eight complex techniques before gathering in the last dish. It is a complex preparation with a high ‘assembly index’.
Both dishes, if carefully followed, will distribute a biryani, but the assembly theory believes that we need to evaluate the object based on its complexity, rather than what the result looks like.
The perception, that is less with the presence of an object in the nature and more with the main elements of a system and how they inter-operate with each other are a useful structure to assess technology systems in terms of their regulation. For this, we first need to break these systems into their main components and provide them a regulatory assembly index (RAI) based on their complexity and functional interpretation.
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Low opinion technologies-simple tools and standalone applications such as mobile applications or video game-light-touch regulation are slightly higher than that focuses on basic security and accountability.
Medium RAI system-which are more depth integrated multi-party platforms such as e-commerce portals and ride—-up, may require compulsory risk assessment and clearly defined obligations that may be related to losses that may be related to damage.
High RAI system- Usually a call can be made for extended to pre-fanatical testing, continuous monitoring and structured accountable measures that can be called for more comprehensive inspection for the system such as Aadhaar or our digital payment infrastructure on important infrastructure or population-paam.
He said, completely regulating technology based on its complexity takes us only part of the path. Given how fast technologies develop, until our approach to regulation does not take into consideration, it will decrease.
This is the place where ‘selection’, the second aspect of the assembly theory becomes relevant. Paper authors argue that there is a process of natural selection by which other circumstances other than complexity can determine why some structures tolerate while others do not.
Going back to the analogy of food, when the two dishes described above are put on a restaurant menu, it will disappear with less popular time. The notion that complex systems develop in response to external factors, yet provide another lens that can help us decide how to regulate technology systems.
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More complex is a technique, more likely that it will come under selective pressures. The complexity increases the number of components in a system and their functional interpretation. If we can design our regulatory structure to assess them on significant complexity threshold, we can better monitor a system towards development.
For example, take social media apps. At the time of launch, they are simple, which use users (and regulators) comfortably, offer a small set of features. But over time, new features become layered until these applications become bloated and complicated.
If, instead of regulating the product or service, as we do in the present, we hold a process that reviews these techniques on the major milestones in our development, we will give regulators the ability to make small corrective adjustments because they develop that will increase these companies towards better data governance, which will move towards better data governance without innovation.
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The real benefit or assembly theory will be in the development of a governance structure that develops in lock-step with technical complexity-one that refines its governance parameters to complete the continuous increased complexity and selection matrix.
If we can achieve those insight that helps us to balance the technical ability of new techniques with social values, then we will not only be able to regulate technology well, but will also actively direct its development in a way that will lead us to the desired beneficial results.
The author is a partner in Tillgal and the author of ‘The Third Way: India’s Revolutionary Approach to Data Governance’. His X handle is @matthan.