Artificial Intelligence and Consumer Rights: Legal Responsibility for Algorithmic Decisions in the Polish and Eu Regulatory Context

ABSTRACT This article examines whether Polish and European Union legal frameworks, supported by institutional oversight, provide consumers with sufficient protection against the adverse consequences of decisions made by artificial intelligence (AI) systems, and whether legal gaps persist in this area. The study aims to identify and assess these gaps and to formulate recommendations for strengthening consumer safeguards in the age of algorithmic decision-making. A qualitative descriptive analysis was applied to selected Polish and international legal acts and scholarly literature, including the Act on Competition and Consumer Protection of 16 February 2007 and Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council (the AI Act), along with expert opinions from Polish legal scholars. The findings indicate that while existing Polish and EU provisions, reinforced by institutional supervision, afford consumers a degree of protection, this coverage does not extend to all potential risks associated with AI use in consumer markets. Significant legal gaps remain, and the development of new laws that keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI poses a substantial legislative challenge. As a result, fully eliminating these gaps in the near future may prove difficult, if not impossible.