Governance at the Edge of Intelligence: AI’s Socio-Legal Reckoning in 2025 – Asia Law Portal

“AI will not replace humans — but humans who use AI will replace those who don’t.” This bold prediction from Deloitte’s 2025 AI Outlook captures the seismic shift reshaping our societies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly pervading the way we work, learn, create and govern, whether in classrooms or courtrooms. However, there is also a web of legal uncertainties, ethical dilemmas, and socio-economic disruptions related to the technology which need to be addressed. In 2025, generative AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and GitHub Copilot have become a part of general technology applications — making things innovative — but also inspiring discussion within accountability, misinformation and fair access debates. In this article I will review the social-legal reckoning of AI; how it has changed everything and how it is imperative to address the risks using human rights, democracy, and social good.

The AI Economy: The contribution of AI to the digital labor market

A seismic shift is taking place in the digital labor market. With the advent of the creator economy enabled by AI-run platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, it provides an additional source of income to more than 50 million creators. HubSpot notes that almost forty percent of marketers use AI tools to create content and develop branding strategies while connecting with audiences in a better way.

Too, while AI enhances productivity, it may also escalate inequality. According to estimates of McKinsey & Company, potentially millions of traditional jobs worldwide may be displaced via use of AI-powered automation. Though AI can bring companies as much as $4.4 trillion of productivity benefits, the same developments could help exacerbate socio-economic gaps, particularly when possible algorithmic discrimination is not eliminated or when AI access is distributed unevenly.

These challenges underscore the importance of proactive governance in AI regulation. Policymakers and business leaders can champion the preservation of marginalized communities, through targeted inclusive retraining, digital literacy initiatives, and equitable AI deployment to ensure no one is left behind. Furthermore, the rise of an AI-fueled gig economy suggests labor reforms and protections may be needed — to create innovative safeguards that shield workers in this evolving landscape while upholding justice in the modern workforce.

Sacred Truths and Synthetic Lies: Ethics, Extremism, and the Misinformation Epidemic

AI should not only be viewed through the lens of its economic impact, but also through its potential impact in areas including misinformation, extremism, and manipulation of society. Brookings Institution, for example, cautions that AI-supplied content could be weaponized to cause propaganda, escalating religious and ethnic divisions, and election irregularities in democratic systems.

The possible outcome of potentially deepfake videos and otherwise manipulated content that might be distributed by AI is particularly troubling. According to the United Nations High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, in their report entitled: “Governing AI for Humanity”, AI-powered misinformation campaigns can impact political discourse, and AI-generated explicit content poses risks to social standards and human dignity. Pew Research Center examined the cause of anxiety related to AI-generated material among youths in 2025 and concluded that 30 percent of youths complained of aggravated anxiety because of harmful AI-generated material they found online. In response, religious leaders and civil-society organizations are mounting a vital counteroffensive through AI literacy initiatives and calls for transparent governance frameworks—efforts that compellingly underscore the urgent legal imperative for ethical AI deployment prioritizing truth, accountability, and safeguards for vulnerable groups. Concurrently, escalating pressures on social media platforms to implement robust AI-powered content moderation must be navigated with caution, as they ignite critical debates over censorship, free speech rights, and algorithmic opacity, demanding proactive regulatory reforms to balance innovation with constitutional protections.

How Generative AI is Changing Science, Technology, and Trust – Precision and Pitfalls

The role of AI in scientific research and technological development appears to be growing in importance. Software development has also been simplified with the help of tools such as the GitHub Copilot, with 35 percent of programmers claiming to be more productive. One of the fields where AI can play a significant role is medical diagnosis, which has already reached almost 98 percent accuracy levels, as reported by Nature Medicine, altering not only how patients are diagnosed early before other symptoms appear but also their treatment planning strategies.

Space exploration has also benefitted. According to NASA, AI systems improved efficiency and the analysis of data during the Mars missions, where rovers used to navigate. And AI is used by sports analytics to carry out predictive injury prevention efforts to minimize the incidence of risk in athletes by 25%. Nevertheless, these improvements pose potential pitfalls.

According to MIT Technology Review, historical biases of results in science still exist due to algorithm biases, particularly in medical image processing and data-driven studies. According to the United Nations High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence’s report “Governing AI for Humanity,” the hallucinatory nature of AI, where it produces inaccurate or misleading results, does not instill confidence in its use in critical fields, such as the potential for providing inaccurate information or analysis that could lead to misdiagnoses by medical AI or exacerbation of discrimination against marginalized communities. The burgeoning role of AI in scientific research requires reevaluation of intellectual property rights, authorship ownership, and the integrity of peer-reviewed literature. As AI models increasingly humanize into indispensable research collaborators—far beyond mere tools—the scientific community should proactively address the imperatives of control, transparency, and accountability in knowledge production to prevent legal pitfalls and preserve ethical innovation.

AI in the Classroom and the Lab: Innovation, Erosion, and Ethical Dilemmas

A revolution is occurring with the introduction of AI tools that can be used in the educational field, e.g., ChatGPT, that offer individual tailoring and fast access to information. According to the World Economic Forum, 75 percent of students utilize the advantages of personalized learning enabled with the help of AI. It also enhances innovation and translates to growth by 30% in the process of problem solving by AI.

Nonetheless, the use of AI in learning raises important questions. Ample data, including results from Education Week, reflect that 65 percent of teachers witness the corrosion of basic skills in students who rely on AI to complete assignments and research. Further, the use of AI as a potential conduit to inaccuracies jeopardizes academic integrity, and a quarter of all AI-created educational materials may contain inaccuracies.

The burgeoning AI-driven research sector, projected to reach a market value of approximately $6 billion in 2025, accelerates discovery and idea generation—yet may amplify biases and undermine academic quality, requiring the creation of robust ethical codes and governance regimes to safeguard educational integrity and foster responsible AI deployment. Likewise, the rapid adoption of AI for automated assessment and grading may raise legal quandaries around fairness, data privacy, and the erosion of personalized learning, compelling stakeholders to enact safeguards ensuring AI serves as an educator’s ally in preserving the human essence of academia.

Law in the Age of Algorithms: Navigating Copyright, Privacy, and Accountability in AI Governance

The law is largely being adapted to the fast-paced nature of AI. According to the U.S. Copyright Office’s January 2025 report:, “Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability,” computer-generated works generally lack copyright protection unless there is significant human involvement, setting a precedent for intellectual property rights and future legal standards.

In the meantime, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, valid since 2024, will require risk assessment of high-risk AI systems to be carried out comprehensively. However, according to an analysis of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act’s National Implementation Plans, implementation has been haphazard and intra-regional disparities in regulation continue. According to the United Nations High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence’s report “Governing AI for Humanity” the issue of privacy is not any less urgent and AI-related contractual provisions in business-related agreements should be made robust in terms of ethical protection. AI-generated code’s security vulnerabilities risk data breaches and cyberattacks, necessitating robust legal frameworks that balance AI’s novelty with innovation. Unclear accountability for AI decisions in healthcare, finance, and autonomous transport may create legal and ethical challenges that regulators should address proactively.

Innovation to Annihilation? Fighting the Dark Frontiers of AI in 2025

In addition to short-term legal and ethical implications, AI poses potentially existential threats that warrant international concern. The AI Safety Index 2025 highlights the possibility of future negative impacts if AI governance does not keep up with technological progress. Possible dangers include autonomous weapons, loss of human control and abuse by ill-minded parties.

Although regulatory efforts, such as the EU AI Act and AI roadmaps released by the US Senate, can be seen as an attempt at integrative governance, they could possibly be weakened by loopholes of enforcement and lack of coordination of efforts. Technology leaders, such as The Future of Life Institute, note that extreme care, multi-disciplinary cooperation and community input are essential in reducing AI risks and effectively using its advantages.

To ensure AI safety, ethics, and governance, international organizations, policymakers, and tech leaders should collaborate. Without coordinated global efforts, rapid AI advancements could lead to economic disruption or existential risks.

Md. Mahamodul Hasan is a Bangladeshi undergraduate law student (2nd year) at the University of Chittagong, focused on socio-legal issues, human rights, and governance. Recently, he assumed the role of Assistant Head of the Research and Certification Wing in the NILS-LEB National Model Legislative Assembly 2025 in Chittagong, Bangladesh. He is also currently serving as an Associate Member of Legal Research Team at the Legal Empowerment Bangladesh-LEB, as the Head of the Research Wing in the Network for International Law Students, Chittagong University Chapter, and as a Research Intern at the Indian Journal for Research in Law and Management.

He co-founded the 3 ZERO CLUB at the University of Chittagong and has worked as an Assistant Campus Ambassador at WSDA New Zealand and as a Campus Ambassador at The Law Jurist. His experience includes internships in legal research at Research Expert BD and The Record of Law (ongoing).

He has completed programs including the Aspire Leaders Program 2024 at the Aspire Institute of the Harvard Business School and a seminar on the Paris Agreement at the University of Cambridge. His awards include: Champion at the 8^th NILS Bangladesh Moot Court Competition 2024, Best Memorial Award at the 4^th NILS CU Moot Court Competition 2024, Best Speaker at the NILS CU Public Speaking and Presentation Competition 2024, and Champion in the HERO OF NDC (Notre Dame College, Dhaka) General Knowledge Competition 2021.

He is passionate about justice and learning. His article “Governance at the Edge of Intelligence: AI’s Socio-Legal Reckoning in 2025” explores AI’s regulatory and ethical challenges in governance, aiming to promote fair legal systems in Asia and globally.

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