Slowing Down the Machine: Why Governance Matters

Keynote I: Tea Mustać

Tea Mustać is an AI governance and privacy specialist, currently pursuing an LL.M. at Harvard Law School. She works at the intersection of AI governance and data protection, helping organizations turn abstract regulation into practical action.Tea co-hosts Reg Int: Decoding AI Regulation and co-authored The AI Act Compact. Her work has been recognized with the European Young Lawyers Award and the My Data Is Mine Award. She has spoken at global events like Web Summit and Dublin Tech Summit and regularly leads workshops on AI, tech policy, and leadership.

Presentation

Slowing Down the Machine: Why Governance Matters

Artificial intelligence systems are built for efficiency. Faster decisions, faster processes, faster deployment. Human societies, however, depend on understanding. When the pace of machines exceeds the pace at which humans can meaningfully engage, anxiety is a rational response. This keynote explores why AI governance matters not as a mechanism of control, but as a way of deliberately slowing down at critical moments. Drawing on practical experience with AI regulation and real-world implementation, the talk shows how governance can introduce pauses into automated systems. Rather than opposing innovation, governance becomes the condition that allows AI to develop in ways that remain intelligible and aligned with our values.