Deepfakes and other AI-generated content must carry clear labels from Sunday, as the European Union’s transparency rules under the AI Act come into force. From 2 August 2026, companies operating in the EU must ensure their AI systems — including chatbots — clearly disclose that users are interacting with artificial intelligence. Any image, video, audio or text created or significantly manipulated by AI must also be labelled so people can immediately tell whether the content is real or synthetic.
The goal is straightforward: help Europeans distinguish authentic material from AI-generated content at a time when generative AI can produce disinformation at unprecedented scale and speed. What Must Be Labelled Under the EU AI Act The new obligations, set out in Article 50 of the AI Act, apply in stages and cover four main situations: Interactive AI systems such as chatbots must inform users they are dealing with AI. Deepfakes — realistic AI-generated or manipulated images, videos or audio that appear authentic — must be clearly labelled.
AI-generated or AI-manipulated text published to inform the public on matters of public interest must be labelled unless a human has exercised editorial oversight and taken responsibility. Providers of generative AI systems must embed machine-readable marks (watermarks or metadata) so AI-generated content can be automatically detected. Firms that fail to comply face significant fines — up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher.
How Companies Can Comply Compliance can be achieved through a combination of technical and visible measures: Integrating watermarks and other machine-readable markers into AI outputs. Displaying clear, persistent labels or the optional official EU icons (basic AI marker, “AI-generated”, or “AI-modified”). Providing audio disclaimers where visual labels are not possible.
Existing generative AI systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 have a limited grace period until 2 December 2026 to implement the machine-readable marking requirement. All other transparency duties apply from 2 August. Exemptions and Special Cases The rules target professional and commercial use.
Individuals using AI purely for personal purposes are not affected. Exemptions or lighter regimes also exist for artistic, creative, satirical and fictional works. Text that has undergone genuine human editor…
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