Shaping the AI Sandbox Ecosystem for the Intelligent Age 2025

Sandboxes in the Intelligent Age – what and why1 AI sandboxes reduce risks, accelerate experimentation and bridge the gap between research and real-world deployment. An AI sandbox is a controlled environment that allows innovators to safely develop, test and refine AI models and applications. The European Union AI Act 20245 defines an AI regulatory sandbox in the following terms: “‘AI regulatory sandbox’ means a controlled framework set up by a competent authority which offers providers or prospective providers of AI systems the possibility to develop, train, validate and test, where appropriate in real-world conditions, an innovative AI system, pursuant to a sandbox plan for a limited time under regulatory supervision.” The EU AI Act accords legal status to AI regulatory sandboxes and defines their objectives as well as some of the operational details. It is useful to recount here the provisions of the EU AI Act relating to sandboxes. The following objectives for AI sandboxes set by the Act are universal, and highlight how innovation and regulatory development should be considered side by side. a. Improving legal certainty to achieve regulatory compliance with this regulation or, where relevant, other applicable Union and national law b. Supporting the sharing of best practices through cooperation with the authorities involved in the AI regulatory sandbox c. Fostering innovation and competitiveness and facilitating the development of an AI ecosystem d. Contributing to evidence-based regulatory learning e. Facilitating and accelerating access to the Union market for AI systems, in particular when provided by SMEs, including start-ups These objectives seek to promote innovation and progress from within the regulatory guardrails. Shaping the AI Sandbox Ecosystem for the Intelligent Age 6