Risks and regulation of emerging technologies in chaotic and uncertain times the case of 3D printing

The scale, speed, and complexity of emerging technologies (ETs) such as 3D printing (3DP), virtual reality (VR), and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others, creates new risks and uncertainties, and challenges traditional regulation. This work explains how the scope, scale, and speed of ETs affect the public governance of risk (approaches, structure, and tools). It also discusses the main implications of uncertainty regulation of 3DP, also known as additive manufacturing (AM). Finally, it compares the international 3DP regulation practices. To reach these objectives, I reviewed literature from scientific sources through Scopus and non-academic sources using the Infotrac Newsstand database. I also reviewed content from YouTube and independent blogs, and their related comments. The review of these sources suggests that, in the face of ETs, regulators are unable to keep up. This creates a need for a public governance of risk that is more agile, innovative, holistic, flexible, proactive, and responsible. Moreover, regulatory uncertainty affects 3DP standards, intellectual property, and the way 3DP users interact with each other and the technology. Furthermore, the international 3DP regulation practices involve standardization, certification, and creation of 3DP commissions/communities.