European Commission Issues AI Act Transparency Guidelines

The European Commission published transparency guidelines on July 20, 2026, to assist AI providers and deployers in meeting the requirements of the EU AI Act. These rules, which largely take effect on August 2, 2026, mandate that organizations notify users when they are interacting with AI systems, such as chatbots. The guidelines also require machine-readable markings for AI-generated or manipulated content to reduce the risk of deception.

Deployers must specifically disclose the use of deepfakes, biometric categorization, emotion recognition, and AI-generated content concerning matters of public interest that lack human oversight. The Commission provided exemptions for interactions that are obvious or standard editing that does not materially alter the content. Systems already on the market are granted until December 2, 2026, to comply with marking and detection requirements.

To facilitate implementation, the Commission is introducing an AI Act Service Desk. It also confirmed that adherence to a voluntary Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content serves as an acceptable framework for demonstrating compliance with the Act.