Dr Igor Szpotakowski questions current gaps in AI regulation
Through two events in February, Dr Szpotakowski disseminated his research findings on important concerns regarding generative AI models.
On the 17 February Dr Igor Szpotakowski presented the paper Private Ordering, Generative AI and the ‘Platformisation Paradigm’: What Can We Learn from Comparative Analysis of Models’ Terms and Conditions? alongside Professor Lilian Edwards (Newcastle University) and Gabriele Cifrondelli (University of Glasgow) at the workshop "AI and Scots Law: Transforming the Future", hosted by the University of Dundee.
This workshop, the first in the project’s series funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, was focused on 'Scene Setting, General Principles, Contract, Agency, and Regulation'. The event gathered leading experts in Law and Technology, providing a platform for insightful discussions on the legal implications of AI in Scots Law and beyond. The paper, published in the Cambridge Forum on AI: Law and Governance (Cambridge University Press), builds upon an extensive body of research on Terms and Conditions (T&C) and privacy policies of social media companies.
Copyright and data protection
It presents findings from a pilot empirical study mapping the T&C of a representative sample of generative AI systems, with a particular focus on copyright and data protection. These findings indicate the emergence of a “platformisation paradigm”, in which generative AI providers position themselves as neutral intermediaries.
The study highlights the need for carefully reconsidering new laws targeting “big tech”, ensuring that regulatory frameworks for generative AI models do not reinforce past power imbalances between platforms and users.
The shorter blog post about the journal article can be read here.
Generative AI in the People's Republic of China
Dr Szpotakowski continued his research dissemination by delivering a guest lecture on the 22 February, titled "Regulation of Generative AI Services in the People's Republic of China".
The lecture was for the School of Law and Economy of China, a programme organised by the Polish Research Centre for Law and Economy of China at the Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw.
Balancing technological innovation with regulatory control
During the session, Igor Szpotakowski shared insights from his current comparative research on the regulation of generative AI in China and beyond, focusing on key mechanisms such as self-regulation and pre-market licensing. His work sheds light on how China’s evolving vertical AI governance framework balances technological innovation with regulatory control.
As part of his collaboration with the Polish Research Centre for Law and Economy of China, some of his findings was published in March 2025 as a chapter titled: “Self-Regulation and Pre-Market Licensing as Methods of Controlling Generative AI in the People's Republic of China – Preliminary Observations” within the book New Technologies as a Source of Challenges for the Legal System in Poland, Piotr Grzebyk (Ed.), Warsaw: Scholar Publishing, 2025 (in Polish).
Dr Szpotakowski says:
Comparative research on the regulation of Generative AI models is essential for understanding how current regulatory approaches impact the industry and whether they effectively protect users of these services. By analysing different legal frameworks and identifying phenomena like the ‘platformisation paradigm’, we can evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of these regulatory approaches, ultimately contributing to more informed and balanced policy decisions.
Dr Igor Szpotakowski is a member of Centre for Business Law and Practice.
He can be found on LinkedIn and on Bluesky @iszpotakowski.bsky.social.
