The European Commission announced on Friday that, from 2 August, it will begin enforcing the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and the new transparency obligations attached to it, working together with national authorities.
Under the new rules certain AI systems must explicitly inform users when they are interacting with AI or when content has been generated or modified by AI. This requirement covers chatbots and other interactive AI systems: these services must make clear to users that they are communicating with an AI rather than a live human.
AI-edited or AI-created images, videos and audio — commonly referred to as deepfakes — must also be clearly labelled. In addition to human-readable labels, AI-generated or modified content must include machine-readable markers so that such material can be more easily detected and processed.
According to the Commission, the measures are intended to reduce deception and manipulation and to help people make better-informed decisions. The rules also aim to clarify companies’ obligations and provide practical means for them to demonstrate compliance.
The Commission’s statement does not provide additional details on enforcement steps or penalties; however, the application of the rules will involve national authorities starting from the specified date.
