The gap between technology and policymaking has gotten wider than ever with artificial intelligence, leaving a global policy vacuum as A.I. models rapidly advance.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, gathered senior officials for an exclusive meeting at a 19th-century palace outside Brussels this month. The goal was to prepare for a speech outlining the 27-nation bloc's priorities for the coming year, with artificial intelligence dominating the agenda.

The region's new A.I. czar, Jim Hagemann Snabe, the chairman of German industrial giant Siemens, outlined ways that Europe could regulate and compete in the rapidly evolving A.I. landscape. His recommendations focused on balancing innovation with oversight, but officials acknowledged the challenge of keeping pace with A.I. developments that often outstrip traditional legislative timelines.

Similar struggles are evident worldwide as governments grapple with questions around data privacy, algorithmic bias, and national security implications of A.I. systems. The widening gap reflects the difficulty of crafting effective policies for technologies that evolve faster than bureaucratic processes can adapt.