We look back on two inspiring days in a stunning castle in Woerden. The Be Informed Conference brought together 94 attendees representing 20 different companies. We all shared knowledge on our collective mission of enabling organizations to thrive in complex and dynamic regulatory environments.
Participants at the Be Informed Conference 2023 immersed themselves in a diverse program featuring keynote sessions, brief yet impactful 5-minute pitches from our partners, parallel sessions, and a thought-provoking panel discussion. This well-rounded agenda provided attendees with a comprehensive experience, offering deep insights into transformative concepts, innovative solutions from partners, and focused discussions on the concept of translating regulations into automated compliance.
Delving into the conference’s focal points, let’s explore insights and shine a spotlight on some of the impactful presentations from the Be Informed Conference 2023.
The Regulatory Burden is Rising Exponentially
A significant focus at the conference was the growing complexity of dealing with regulations. Speakers and partners discussed organizations’ practical challenges navigating this evolving regulatory landscape. For example, it’s mentioned that, in the US alone, the annual paperwork burden imposed by executive departments and agencies on the public is estimated to be more than 9 billion hours.
The discussions didn’t just highlight the problem; they also examined the straightforward strategies and solutions to address these challenges.
“There is an inevitable need for reliable, explainable, and traceable processes and tools to deal with complex regulatory systems.” says Gartjan Grijzen, the Chief Technology Officer at Be Informed.
Unraveling Regulatory Challenges with Technology
The presentation, “From Norm to Application with the Be Informed Workbench,” delved into key areas such as regulatory change management, legal engineering, explicit interpretations, and business governance infrastructure.
The Be Informed Workbench was highlighted as a tool to capture and convert intricate legal knowledge into a computer-readable format. This enables machines to analyze and reason over complex laws, providing valuable assistance in comprehension and application. The discussion extended to the challenges and solutions in defining and implementing public policy, emphasizing the mission to translate normative sources in natural language into actionable content. The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between textual complexities and practical implementation, showcasing a commitment to understanding and innovating within regulatory environments.
From Norms to Models, Products, and Services
In a joint presentation, Robert van Doesburg, a senior scientist from TNO, and Rinke Colen, a solution architect at Be Informed, shared their insights about “The Future of Knowledge Work: Modeling Norms and Rules for Public Services.” Their exploration encompassed various critical topics, focusing on public services and other regulated domains, dissecting regulated systems, processes, and organizations.
The presentation concluded by zooming out to the ecosystem perspective, where models were portrayed as representing value. The discussion touched upon the sharing or trading of models within a marketplace, with producers and consumers interconnected through the Be Informed workbench. This ecosystem dynamically extended to the creation of products and services based on these models, encapsulating a holistic vision of knowledge work in the future.
Navigating Complexities: AI, Norm Engineering, and Legal Language
Siebrand de Meijer, Founder of 4Logix, and Geert Rensen, Chief Customer Officer at Be Informed, started their presentation on “Ensuring Compliance for International Trade: Combining Norm Engineering and AI with Data Sources” by addressing the challenges inherent in the complex landscape of international trade.
“Rules change. To optimize maintainability, we need traceability through the development chain.” highlights Vincent van Dijk from Pharosius.
Navigating multiple regulatory systems and diverse policy domains, they highlighted the significant hurdles posed by each country’s constantly updated regulations, procedures, and documents. This set the stage for their highlight on the critical role of Data and AI in tackling the complexities of international trade. By combining norm engineering with advanced technologies, the speakers highlighted the potential for efficient testing for compliance and the identification of red flags. This integrated approach aims to streamline processes and enhance the effectiveness of compliance measures in the dynamic and intricate landscape of international trade.
