The European Commission’s AI Office, in collaboration with national authorities, began applying the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) as of August 2, 2026.
The European Commission announced in late July that new transparency rules will begin to apply, obliging certain AI systems to inform users when they interact with AI and when content has been generated or modified by it.
Under the new rules, chatbots and other interactive AI systems must tell users that they are dealing with AI, not a human.
“Deepfakes (images, videos or audio that have been edited or generated with the help of AI) must be labeled. Content generated or modified by AI must also bear machine-readable marks to facilitate detection,” reads a European Commission press release.
“Objective: to reduce deception and manipulation and to help people make informed choices. They also provide companies with clearer obligations and a practical way to demonstrate their compliance.”
And add that the application also begins with regard to transparency obligations and the prohibited AI practices. These laws prohibit particularly harmful systems, including those that manipulate people, exploit vulnerabilities in a harmful way, or unfairly evaluate individuals in a manner that threatens their rights. The content must be marked with markings using EU-created icons. Three are available for companies.
