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ARTICLE · 24 SEPTEMBER 2026

EU AI Act Transparency Rules Now Apply: What Businesses Need To Know

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From 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act introduces mandatory transparency obligations requiring organisations to disclose AI interactions, mark AI-generated content, and inform users about emotion recognition and biometric categorisation systems. These rules apply not only to EU organisations but also to international businesses whose AI systems or outputs reach the EU market, with limited transitional periods for compliance.

European UnionTechnology
Luke Dixon
Luke Dixon
Conor McDonagh
Conor McDonagh

From 2 August 2026, a significant new set of obligations under the EU AI Act has come into force. The transparency requirements in Article 50 are now directly applicable and enforceable across the EU, representing one of the first major compliance milestones under the Act.

The rules are designed to ensure that individuals can recognise when they are interacting with AI systems and when content has been generated or manipulated by AI. They apply not only to EU organisations, but also to businesses outside the EU that place AI systems on the EU market or whose AI-generated outputs are used within the EU.

The key transparency obligations include:

  • AI interactions: Providers of chatbots, AI agents and other interactive AI systems must clearly inform users that they are dealing with AI rather than a human

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