Social perception of the application of artificial intelligence as a factor of legal regulation in the scientific field

The subject of the research is the social relations arising in the scientific field during the application of artificial intelligence technologies, as well as the legal and social mechanisms mediating the assessment of the permissibility of using these technologies by subjects of scientific activity. The object of the research is understood as the set of norms of Russian and international legislation, doctrinal sources in the field of information and administrative law, as well as the established informal regulatory practices within the academic environment. The author examines such aspects of the topic as the influence of the social perception factor on the formation of the actual boundaries of permissible behavior of researchers, the comparative analysis of precedents for the application of artificial intelligence in related fields, and the degree of reflection of the discussed issues in the current regulatory framework of the Russian Federation. Special attention is given to studying international approaches to regulating academic integrity in the context of the digitalization of scientific labor and analyzing existing doctrinal positions regarding the limits of public-legal intervention in this area. The methodological basis of the research consists of general scientific methods: formal-legal, comparative-legal, and legal modeling. The scientific novelty of the research lies in identifying and theoretically and legally understanding the replacement of public-legal regulatory mechanisms with social and ethical assessments in the application of artificial intelligence technologies in scientific activity. It has been established that in conditions of normative uncertainty, characterized by the absence of special norms in industry legislation regulating the procedure and limits of using artificial intelligence systems, the permissibility of applying the corresponding technologies is actually determined by the conventional settings of the professional and academic community. As a result, the boundaries of lawful behavior of subjects of scientific activity are formed outside the system of formally defined legal norms. The work substantiates the existence of a systemic problem in public-legal regulation of scientific activity, which effectively delegates authoritative and administrative functions to informal professional structures. Based on the analysis of doctrinal approaches, empirical examples from related fields, and international regulatory trends, a conceptual conclusion is formulated regarding the need to transition from a model of legal uncertainty to an imperative-dispositive model that ensures the permissibility of applying artificial intelligence in scientific research.