AI Sandboxes: How Is AI Being Tested in the Real World? What regulators, innovators, and society can learn from AI experimentation

AI Sandboxes: How Is AI Being Tested in the Real World? What regulators, innovators, and society can learn from AI experimentation

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being deployed in classrooms, hospitals, financial systems, workplaces, and public services. But before these systems reach large-scale adoption, many are first tested through regulatory sandboxes: controlled environments designed to allow innovation while reducing risks.

In this conversation, experts from the Datasphere Initiative (https://www.thedatasphere.org/) will take us inside the world of AI sandboxes. Together, we will explore how these environments operate in practice, where they are being implemented around the world, what regulators hope to learn from them, and what challenges emerge when AI moves from controlled settings into everyday life.

We will also examine critical questions that are receiving growing attention: Can schools become AI testing grounds? Are vulnerable populations exposed to greater risks? How can regulators balance innovation with public protection? And what role should civil society, academia, and affected communities play in shaping these experiments?

Ultimately, this discussion is about more than testing technology. It is about testing the boundaries of governance, responsibility, and public trust in the age of AI.

Speakers

Sophie Tomlinson

Deputy Executive Director, Datasphere Initiative

Sophie Tomlinson is Deputy Executive Director at the Datasphere Initiative and an experienced policy and communications leader specializing in technology governance, digital transformation, international trade, and sustainable development. Prior to joining Datasphere, she led global digital economy policy initiatives at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), covering issues such as privacy, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and digital trade. She holds a Master's degree in International Public Policy from University College London.

Mariana Rozo-Paz

Policy, Research and Project Management Lead, Datasphere Initiative

Mariana Rozo-Paz is a lawyer and policy professional specializing in data governance, responsible innovation, and AI policy. At the Datasphere Initiative, she leads research, policy, and capacity-building programs supporting governments, international organizations, and civil society in designing responsible AI and data governance frameworks, including regulatory sandboxes. Mariana previously worked at Data-Pop Alliance and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. She is also the co-founder of Boldea, an initiative dedicated to empowering young people to navigate an increasingly complex technological world.

Moderator & Series Curator

Ana Catarina de Alencar

International Lawyer, Ethicist, PhD Researcher, and Resident Philosopher at The AI Collective

Ana Catarina de Alencar is an international lawyer and ethicist based in Paris whose work explores the societal impacts of emotionally responsive technologies and AI systems. She is a PhD researcher at the Université de Lille, where she investigates emotional AI, human autonomy, and digital well-being through an interdisciplinary lens combining law, ethics, philosophy, and neurobiology. She currently serves as Resident Philosopher at The AI Collective, where she curates and moderates conversations on AI, society, and human flourishing.

Date & Time

📅 July 2, 2026

🕕 6:00 PM Paris (CEST)

🕔 5:00 PM London (BST)

🕘 9:00 AM San Francisco (PDT)

Duration: 60 minutes

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