Right now, a lot of the attention is focused on the World Cup. And, of course, on FIFA's new rules.
Here's a quick example: If referees are to assess differently in the future whether a player is covering his mouth, that sounds at first like a very specific soccer issue—one involving the field, the whistle, and discussions on the sidelines.
But behind this lies a pattern that companies are very familiar with.
Rules change.
Sometimes visibly.
Sometimes quietly.
Sometimes right where you weren't looking.
In soccer, a small rule change can have a big impact—on players, coaches, referees, and clubs. Suddenly, certain behaviors must be interpreted differently. What went unnoticed yesterday may be relevant tomorrow.
It's similar in companies. Except that instead of "FIFA rule," they use terms like regulation, guideline, law, draft bill, administrative practice, or industry standard.
And there's plenty of that.
Building retrofits, healthcare reform, acceleration laws, amendments to the Building Code, European regulations, national implementing laws, data protection, AI regulation, information security, sustainability, labor law: The list is long enough to warrant its own chair in the conference room.
Many companies do not underestimate the importance of regulation. They underestimate the speed at which it changes.
New guidelines no longer appear sporadically, like rare migratory birds. They come regularly, often simultaneously, and frequently in a language that even experienced departments have to pause their coffee breaks to decipher.
The real challenge, therefore, is not just:
What does the law say?
Rather:
This is exactly where monitoring becomes important.
Effective regulatory monitoring isn't just a frantic Google search right before a deadline. It's a structured process.
Companies should know which areas of law are relevant to them, which sources need to be monitored, and who within the company is responsible for determining whether a change warrants specific actions.
This doesn't just affect large corporations. Small and medium-sized businesses are also increasingly realizing that regulatory matters are no longer the sole responsibility of a single department.
Regulation has long been a cross-cutting issue. And cross-cutting issues do not tolerate unclear lines of responsibility.
AI can be very useful in this area.
For example, when monitoring new developments, organizing information, grouping areas of law, summarizing drafts, or preparing internal review questions.
With good prompts or specialized agents, monitoring processes can be organized much more effectively. Not because AI suddenly replaces the legal department, but because it can help bring some initial order to the flood of information.
This is not yet a final legal assessment. But it is a valuable start.
And sometimes it is precisely this early stage that is crucial in ensuring that companies don't wait to react until the new requirement is already knocking at the door.
As helpful as AI can be in monitoring, it must be used correctly.
A company shouldn't just run any tool and hope that nothing important slips through the cracks. Even AI-powered monitoring requires clear guidelines.
AI can speed things up. But responsibility remains with humans.
Whether on the soccer field or in the workplace: Rules are only manageable if you know them in advance and understand them properly.
For companies, this means that regulatory monitoring is no longer optional. It is an important part of good governance.
Those who recognize early on which developments are relevant can plan with greater confidence, execute more effectively, and make better decisions.
AI can help keep track of things. But it needs structure, good questions, and people who know what matters.
After all, in the end, it's not the person who frantically keeps up with every rule change who wins.
Rather, it's someone who has a system that identifies what's important in a timely manner.