Rules
AI disclosure: what the EU AI Act asks of creators
Article 50 of the EU AI Act has applied since 2 August 2026. It does not require a label on everything made with AI. It targets deepfakes, AI-written public-interest text and the AI systems themselves.
Updated

- 2 Aug 2026Article 50 transparency duties applyRegulation (EU) 2024/1689, Art. 113 (opens in a new tab)
- 2 Dec 2026deadline for machine-readable marking by generative AI systems already on the market before 2 AugustDigital Omnibus on AI, OJ L 2026/1744 (opens in a new tab)
- €15mor 3% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher: the maximum fineEU AI Act, Art. 99(4) (opens in a new tab)
Who must do what under Article 50
- Creators and brands who publish
Disclose deepfakes: AI-generated or edited image, audio or video that shows real people, places or events as if real. Artistic, satirical and fictional work carries a lighter duty: disclosure in a way that does not spoil the work.
- Publishers of AI-written text
Disclose AI-generated text published to inform the public on matters of public interest, unless a person reviewed it and an editor takes responsibility for it.
- AI providers
Mark synthetic audio, images, video and text in a machine-readable way, and tell people when they are talking to an AI system.
A practical checklist
- Keep a record of which assets in a campaign were generated or edited with AI.
- Label realistic synthetic people, voices and scenes where they appear, not only in the caption.
- Do not remove the machine-readable marks that AI tools add to their output.
- Agree in the contract who is responsible for disclosure: the creator, the agency or the brand.
- Check the platform's own AI label rules as well; they can be stricter than the law.
This is general information, not legal advice.
AI literacy
Disclosure rules assume people who know what AI tools do. The AI ID Passport, a BusinessABC programme, describes a five-stage path from foundations to a verifiable credential.
Further reading: AI ID Passport, BusinessABC Academy (opens in a new tab)