EU transparency rules for artificial intelligence came into effect today, August 2, 2026, under the AI Act passed in 2024. The rules aim to help people recognise when they are interacting with AI, and FM104 reported that the EU law is the world's first law on artificial intelligence.

Certain AI-generated or manipulated content must now be clearly labelled, including deepfakes (synthetic media that imitates real people or scenes) of people, places and things. Text about matters of public interest must also be flagged when there has been no human oversight, and users must be told when they are interacting with an AI chatbot rather than a human.

Companies that fail to follow the transparency rules can face fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover. EU institutions and agencies can be fined up to €750,000, while proportionality will be considered for small to medium-sized businesses.

EU transparency rules for artificial intelligence came into effect today, August 2, 2026, under the AI Act passed in 2024. The rules aim to help people recognise when they are interacting with AI, and FM104 reported that the EU law is the world's first law on artificial intelligence.

Certain AI-generated or manipulated content must now be clearly labelled, including deepfakes (synthetic media that imitates real people or scenes) of people, places and things. Text about matters of public interest must also be flagged when there has been no human oversight, and users must be told when they are interacting with an AI chatbot rather than a human.

Companies that fail to follow the transparency rules can face fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global annual turnover. EU institutions and agencies can be fined up to €750,000, while proportionality will be considered for small to medium-sized businesses.