Think about how taxes work. The IRS doesn't check every person. You make rules, you perform random audits.
IRBs could easily do the same thing. Set some rules like (simplified) "No IRB necessary if your research doesn't physically touch a person". Researchers will read the rules and skip an IRB if they're in an exempt category. Then just audit at a high enough rate they won't lie.
There is a huge opportunity in simplifying and automating IRB review.
Here in the Netherlands (we call it HREC, human research ethics committee) the process takes months and months to get permission to talk to people.
Like, “hey I’ve designed some cool new interaction design, I want to get permission to interview people and do human-centered design iterations.” Yes, you will need to spend dozens of hours on forms and wait months.
It cannot be ethical to put these many barriers on talking to humans. And, if you want to do something like an educational game for kids? Or support for the elderly? Or for your students? Well, those are vulnerable populations, so add a few more months.
Education research is extremely difficult here (in the USA it is exempt). How to conduct research on the use of AI in a class you are teaching? You can’t get retroactive consent.
Have I? Haven't I? Are you really saying that all these scientists - anyone doing human subject research at least in advanced democracies - are mostly liars trying to defraud people?
Think about how taxes work. The IRS doesn't check every person. You make rules, you perform random audits.
IRBs could easily do the same thing. Set some rules like (simplified) "No IRB necessary if your research doesn't physically touch a person". Researchers will read the rules and skip an IRB if they're in an exempt category. Then just audit at a high enough rate they won't lie.