Verbeek posits that modern tech is no longer an isolated entity acting on society; it rather plays a huge role in mediating the very ways that people conduct themselves, interact with one another, and take part in public life. The material world getting “intelligified” means that common objects such as doors, mirrors, or places can feel, make up their minds, and even lead human beings to act in a certain way. Such a world is one where the power of the state starts to wane because the power is shifted to the network of the digital world, the companies, and the smart systems that have access to and influence the people’s choices and behaviors without the need of the usual political power. Thus, technology becomes a type of governance.

Therefore, it is necessary to change the regulation of the markets, the corporations, the social groups, and the individuals and to do it in a more proactive way. If technology is to be treated as a political actor, then regulation should not be confined to traditional legal boundaries, but instead, ethical design standards and transparency should be integrated into the systems beforehand, as they will be the ones entering public life. It should not be allowed for the markets to adopt persuasive or surveillance-based technologies without being accountable, and companies that are working on AI or smart environments should be mandated to safeguard autonomy, privacy, and democratic participation.

Moreover, individuals will require new digital rights, which encompass personal data protection, the power to control algorithmic visibility, and the right to opt out of surveillance or behavioral influence in public spaces. Rather than viewing technology as an outside force to be fought off, society must exercise its leadership over it—molding the design, developing, and implementing it in such a way that technological advancement results in the increase of human freedom instead of its decrease. In a networked world, regulation will have to transform into a co-responsibility between states, designers, corporations, and citizens, thereby ensuring that the public space remains human even as it becomes intelligent.