Poland has urged the European Commission in Brussels to launch a probe into TikTok over its handling of AI-generated content, highlighting growing regulatory scrutiny on social media platforms. The move, reported on December 30, 2025, underscores Poland’s push for accountability amid broader EU concerns about digital transparency and misinformation. It also signals that national regulators are increasingly willing to escalate platform-specific worries to the EU level when they believe domestic tools are not enough.
Poland’s Regulatory Push
Poland has formally called on the European Commission to investigate how TikTok manages AI-generated content, arguing that the platform’s current practices may not adequately protect users from manipulation or opaque recommendation systems. By asking Brussels to open a probe into TikTok’s handling of AI-generated content, Warsaw is effectively testing whether existing EU rules on transparency and safety are being applied robustly to one of the bloc’s most influential social networks. The request reflects mounting anxiety that AI tools embedded in popular apps can rapidly amplify misleading videos, synthetic audio, and deepfake-style clips without clear labelling or user controls.
Officials in Warsaw are framing the initiative as a necessary response to emerging risks from AI tools on social platforms, rather than a narrow dispute with a single company. By elevating the issue to the EU framework, Poland is positioning itself as a member state that wants to shape how artificial intelligence is governed across the single market, not just within its own borders. That stance has implications for other governments that have voiced concerns about digital misinformation but have been slower to press for formal EU-level enforcement, since Poland’s move could become a template for how national regulators escalate platform-related worries when they see cross-border harms.
EU Commission’s Role in the Probe
The European Commission in Brussels now faces pressure to determine whether TikTok’s AI systems comply with existing digital services regulations that require large platforms to assess and mitigate systemic risks. In practical terms, the Commission would be expected to review how TikTok labels AI-generated content, how its recommendation algorithms treat synthetic media, and whether users are given meaningful tools to understand or contest automated decisions. Any formal probe triggered by Poland’s request would likely draw on the enforcement powers that already exist under the EU’s digital rulebook, rather than waiting for entirely new legislation, which is why Warsaw’s timing is significant.
Poland’s urging on December 30, 2025, lands while EU institutions are already reviewing how artificial intelligence should be governed, so the Commission’s response could influence both ongoing policy debates and near-term enforcement priorities. If Brussels decides to act quickly, it could set a precedent for how other member states bring AI-related platform concerns to the EU level, especially when they involve cross-border content flows and shared security interests. For major stakeholders, including other social media companies and AI developers, the outcome will signal whether the Commission is prepared to treat AI-generated content on large platforms as a priority enforcement area, potentially prompting pre-emptive changes in product design and transparency practices across the industry.
TikTok’s AI Content Challenges
At the heart of Poland’s request is a concern that TikTok’s growing suite of AI tools has outpaced the safeguards that were originally designed for more traditional user-generated videos. The platform has introduced features that can automatically generate or modify images, voices, and text, which can make it harder for viewers to distinguish between authentic footage and synthetic creations. Polish authorities are effectively asking whether TikTok has done enough to ensure that AI-generated clips are clearly identified, that recommendation systems do not disproportionately push manipulative synthetic content, and that users are not unknowingly exposed to deepfakes that could distort public debate or personal reputations.
Regulators in Warsaw also appear to be scrutinising how TikTok’s current transparency efforts compare with earlier commitments to label manipulated media and provide clearer information about how its algorithms work. As AI features have evolved, the risk is that previous safeguards, such as voluntary labels or limited disclosure in settings menus, no longer match the scale and sophistication of the content being produced. For users and creators in the EU, any probe that follows Poland’s call could lead to stricter rules on how AI tools are offered, including possible requirements for more prominent labelling, expanded appeal mechanisms when content is removed or demoted, and new obligations for creators who rely heavily on synthetic media in their videos.
Broader Implications for EU Tech Policy
Poland’s move to urge Brussels to probe TikTok over AI-generated content is likely to reverberate far beyond a single platform, because it touches on core questions about AI ethics and accountability in the EU’s digital ecosystem. If the Commission responds with a robust investigation, other member states may be encouraged to bring forward their own concerns about AI tools on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, or emerging short-video apps, using the same EU mechanisms that Poland has now tested. That dynamic could accelerate a shift from broad, principle-based debates about AI governance in Brussels to more concrete, platform-specific enforcement actions that directly affect how millions of Europeans experience social media.
Technology firms across the bloc will be watching closely to see whether Poland’s December 30, 2025, initiative leads to new expectations on risk assessments, content labelling, and user redress when AI systems are involved. Some governments may welcome a more assertive EU stance as a way to level the playing field and prevent a patchwork of national rules, while others could worry that aggressive enforcement might chill innovation or complicate cross-border digital services. I see Poland’s urging as a marker of evolving dynamics in digital regulation, where concerns about misinformation and opaque algorithms are increasingly framed through the lens of AI governance, and where national regulators are more willing to enlist Brussels when they believe that only EU-wide action can meaningfully change platform behaviour.
