Regulated Workforce Coordination Infrastructure (RWCI): Governance Risks, Digital Mediation, and the Implications of Emergent Artificial Intelligence

Abstract Regulated organisations increasingly rely on digital systems to coordinate workforce deployment under conditions of regulatory constraint, resource scarcity, and heightened accountability. These systems—ranging from rostering platforms to compliance dashboards and algorithmic decision-support tools—are often treated as operational enablers rather than as governance-shaping infrastructures. This paper introduces the concept of Regulated Workforce Coordination Infrastructure (RWCI) to describe the socio-technical assemblage through which labour is allocated, constrained, and legitimised in regulated environments. It argues that RWCI functions as a governance artefact, redistributing authority and shaping risk exposure in ways that are frequently under-examined. Particular attention is given to the role of digital technology and emergent artificial intelligence (AI) in mediating judgement, creating opacity, and generating false assurance. Drawing on governance and risk literature, and illustrated through the applied case of DomusCurae, the paper identifies key governance risks and outlines principles for effective board-level oversight. The analysis concludes that RWCI must be governed as critical infrastructure rather than implemented as neutral software if organisations are to maintain accountability, ethical integrity, and resilience.