This workshop was open to members of the Novel Beings network. Several of the participants are contributors to the edited collection addressing the themes of the event.

This is one of the challenges for the future development of a useful regulatory framework around novel beings and moral status holding technologies. We are faced with the clash between proactive and reactive methodologies, which is a constant presence in the regulation of any emerging technology. A proactive approach (as understood here) asks that given we can strongly predict the emergence of the technology of interest, what can we do now to mitigate their negative and secure their positive impacts when they do arrive? The pace of law often being slow to develop, it seems sensible to start to act now. This might mean the development of new regulatory instruments in advance, adaptation of existing law, guidance codes, and more. Reactive here refers to the regulatory response to technology that we commonly see, wherein we acknowledge that it is difficult to pre-empt or predict the effect of a future technology, and so wait until epistemic questions are answered and the technology is a real and present concern before acting. Reactive regulation might involve reinterpretation and use of existing legislation, amendments to expand applicability where necessary, or responsive action.

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10:00- 10:15 Introduction: Dr Sarah Morley, Dr David Lawrence

10:15-11:00 Key speaker and Q&A: Prof. Roger Brownsword (Kings College London)

10:30-10.45 Discussion: What does the proactive/reactive division in approaches to regulation mean to you and your area of expertise?

11:45-12:00 Group Reflections

13:10-13:45 Discussion: Where there are definite gaps in the regulation of emerging technologies, how are these overcome (or not) in your fields?

13:45-13:55 Group Reflections

14:00-14:35 Discussion:  How can we best strike a balance with regulation as technological advancements accelerate

14:35-14:45 Group Reflections

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