European Union implements new AI transparency and deepfake rules

New transparency regulations under the EU AI Act have come into effect, establishing specific obligations for disclosing AI-generated content. As of August 2, 2026, transparency duties under Article 50 require that deepfakes—images, audio, or video that appear authentic but are artificially manipulated—must be clearly labeled to inform the public of their artificial origin.

For text-based content, disclosure is required when AI systems generate or manipulate text intended to inform the public on matters of general interest. While artistic, satirical, or fictional works must still signal AI involvement, the rules aim to prevent artificial content from being mistaken for authentic testimony rather than banning experimentation.

Recent legislative updates via the Digital Omnibus on AI have adjusted compliance timelines. While transparency duties and certain bans are already active, the implementation of high-risk rules for standalone systems has been pushed to December 2, 2027, and rules for AI embedded in regulated products to August 2, 2028. Additionally, providers of generative systems already on the market have until December 2, 2026, to implement machine-readable marking.