Governing AI Under Constraint: Innovation, Scale, and Regulation in China and Europe

Event Description

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future promise or a laboratory experiment.

It has now evolved into a form of embedded decision-making infrastructure, quietly but decisively shaping how credit is allocated, information is ranked, labour is evaluated, and public services are delivered. As algorithmic systems diffuse across economies and societies, they increasingly operate at a speed, scale, and level of autonomy that has outpaced any potential level of collective intuition, let alone institutional adaptation. For policymakers, this creates a defining paradox of the digital age: AI functions simultaneously as a general-purpose engine of innovation and as a source of systemic risk, externalities, and deep uncertainty.

China and Europe sit at the centre of this paradox. Both have decisively rejected laissez-faire assumptions and the idea that markets alone can govern algorithmic power. Yet they have arrived at markedly different answers to the same underlying governance problem: how much control is necessary, when should it be exercised, and how should accountability be distributed across states, firms, and societies without undermining innovation and scalability.

Rather than framing AI governance as a binary choice between regulation and progress, The purpose of this session is to surface trade-offs, interrogate structural assumptions, and clarify where governance choices meaningfully shape innovation trajectories. By placing China and Europe in comparative dialogue, the discussion seeks to illuminate what it truly means to govern AI under constraint: not as a question of regulatory intensity, but as a challenge of institutional coordination, scalable oversight, and societal preparedness.

About the Speakers

Gilad Abiri is an Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Program on Law and Innovation at Peking University School of Transnational Law, an Affiliated Faculty Fellow at Yale Law School's Information Society Project, and a Senior Research Affiliate at Singapore Management University's Digital Law Centre.

His research examines the intersection of law and technology, with particular focus on AI regulation, platform governance, and the legitimacy of digital information systems. His recent scholarship on artificial intelligence and digital platforms has appeared in leading journals including the Georgia Law Review, BYU Law Review, Yale Journal of Law and Technology, Stanford Technology Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Michigan Technology Law Review, and Columbia Journal of Transnational Law.

Yajun Zhang is the founder of Zhang Global Advisory and a strategic advisor to Chinese technology companies navigating international expansion. A former senior executive at the World Economic Forum, she led the design of AI and immersive technology experiences within the Global Collaboration Village, tackling real-world data security and governance challenges, and headed Greater China programming including shaping the China technology agenda at Summer and Winter Davos.

Earlier in her career, she advised Tencent, Baidu, JD.com, and iQIYI on international communications and regulatory positioning, giving her direct insight into how Chinese tech firms experience and respond to both domestic algorithm governance frameworks and rising overseas regulatory pressure. Her work sits at a unique intersection of technology, policy, and narrative.

Yajun holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Peking University.

Eric Stryson is the Managing Director of the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent pan-Asian think tank based in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur that focuses on global policy shifts, leadership transformation, sustainability, and the societal implications of emerging technologies.

In his role, Eric works closely with governments, corporations, and international institutions across Asia and the Middle East, helping organizations navigate complex technological and geopolitical transformations. Eric also advises public sector institutions and government bodies, including the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Dubai Government, and the Central Bank of Malaysia, focusing on how institutions can adapt to systemic technological change. His work increasingly explores the intersection of technology, governance, and societal resilience, with a particular emphasis on the responsible and human-centric deployment of artificial intelligence. He examines how organizations can build trust in AI systems, develop governance frameworks, and balance innovation with accountability in rapidly evolving technological environments

Event Details

• Date: 31 March 2026

• Time: 18:00 – 19:30 (12pm to 13:30 pm CEST) : hybrid format event

• Location: Peking University School of Transnational Law,( 2199 lishui Road, University Town, Nanshan District, shenzhen, uangdong 518055, china)

• Room: Second floor, STL building, Room 308

  
  

Event Structure

18:00 – 18:05 | Opening Remarks

• Welcome and framing of the session

• Introduction to the core paradox: governing innovation under constraint

  
  

18:05 – 18:30 | Part I — Regulatory Architecture and Timing of Control

• Comparative perspectives on regulatory intervention across the AI lifecycle

• Focus on legal design, oversight mechanisms, and institutional trade-offs

  
  

18:30 – 18:55 | Part II — Scalability, Market Structure, and Innovation Capacity

• Interaction between regulation, market structure, and AI scaling

• Implications for competitiveness, firm behaviour, and long-term innovation

  
  

18:55 – 19:15 | Part III — Human Capital, Education, and Societal Adaptation

• Role of education, training, and societal awareness as governance infrastructure

• Comparison of ethics-driven vs. execution-driven approaches

  
  

19:15 – 19:30 | Open Discussion & Audience Q&A

• Interactive exchange with audience

• Focus on practical implications for policy, business, and EU–China cooperation