In Spring 2025, IDDP hosted two design thinking workshops with recent civil servants. The participants were asked to imagine a future in which the U.S. is dedicated to protecting consumers and has decided to create a ‘New Digital Platform Regulator’ or ‘FDA for AI’. Think tanks and scholars have imagined such an agency and repeatedly highlight that it will need to be adaptable, able to operate interagency, and consider values in tension when drafting and enforcing regulations. People who have worked in the federal government possess tacit knowledge about how to make these processes work—or fail—in practice. The Summary Report describes the high level findings from the design thinking exercises with the hopes of contributing to an important ongoing conversation regarding the future of consumer technology regulation.
Designing a New Digital Regulator
Workshop Summary Statement
August 7, 2025
