EU AI Act: from 2 August 2026 you must disclose AI-generated content — what your business has to do
From 2 August 2026, Article 50 of the EU AI Act requires anyone using AI to disclose it: chatbots must tell users they’re talking to an AI, and AI-generated content — text, images, audio, video, deepfakes — must be marked as artificial. The AI Act’s transparency obligations aren’t just for AI labs: they hit any company running a chatbot on its site or generating marketing content with AI. Fines reach €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher.
What changes on 2 August 2026
Article 50 of the EU AI Regulation becomes applicable. In short:
- Chatbots and virtual assistants: users must be told they’re interacting with an AI.
- Generative AI (text, images, audio, video): outputs must be marked in a machine-readable format and detectable as artificially generated or manipulated.
- Deepfakes (image/audio/video): whoever publishes them must disclose the content is artificial.
- AI text on matters of public interest: same disclosure.
The Commission has published guidelines and is finalizing a Code of Practice on marking and labelling.
Is my business really in scope?
The common misconception is that the AI Act only concerns OpenAI, Google or the big models. Article 50 actually targets deployers: the company that uses AI in front of the public. Run a support chatbot? Generate posts, emails, images or synthetic voices with AI? You’re in scope. And mind the extraterritorial reach: the regulation is European, but if your AI content or products are used in the EU — or you serve EU customers — you must comply even based in Chiasso or elsewhere in Switzerland.
What to do now (4 moves before 2 August)
- Map where you use AI toward the public: chatbots, generated emails/social, images, video, synthetic voices, auto-summaries.
- Turn on transparency: a “you’re talking to an AI assistant” notice; disclosure/labels on generated content; for generators, machine-readable marking (e.g. C2PA / Content Credentials).
- Update policies and contracts: who approves AI content, how it’s labelled, what you require from AI-tool vendors.
- Check your EU footprint: if you publish or sell in the EU, document compliance before the deadline.
2 August is only weeks away. Could you list, right now, every place your business puts AI content in front of a customer? See also how AI is reshaping both attack and defense in our guide to AI in cybersecurity.
Frequently asked questions
What is Article 50 of the EU AI Act?
The rule requiring transparency about AI use: telling users when they’re talking to an AI and labelling artificially generated or manipulated content. It applies from 2 August 2026.
Is my Swiss company subject to the EU AI Act?
If your AI systems or content are used in the EU, or you serve EU customers, yes: the regulation has extraterritorial reach regardless of where you’re based.
Do I have to label posts or emails written with AI?
For deepfakes and AI text on matters of public interest, disclosure is explicitly required; for ordinary marketing, the prudent practice is to disclose and mark synthetic content anyway.
What are the penalties?
For transparency-obligation breaches, up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover (prohibited practices reach €35M or 7%).
