AI Regulation and Consumer Protection

This talk describes a captured techno-regulatory imaginary in Artificial Intelligence governance, defined by a teleological focus on Artificial General Intelligence, a hierarchy of speculative risk, and a pro-innovation regulation. Using the eight United Nations consumer rights as a lens, it traces how this imaginary is authored by leading AI firms, legitimized by national governments, and universalized through international soft law. This process systematically marginalizes present-day consumer harms. The analysis concludes that operationalizing the underdeveloped rights to consumer education and redress is the pathway for reform, which can help realign existing AI regulation with real consumer welfare.

Gleb Papyshev is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government and International Affairs and the Division of Artificial Intelligence at Lingnan University. His research focuses on AI governance, regulation, and ethics. Previously, he served as a Research Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His work has appeared in peer-reviewed outlets such as Electronic Markets, Technology in Society, Review of Policy Research, Policy Design and Practice, AI & Society, and the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, among others.

The talk will be one hour with a Q&A afterward.