EU to enforce parts of AI Act from Aug. 2, with new transparency rules taking effect

The European Commission said it will begin enforcing relevant provisions of the Artificial Intelligence Act from Aug. 2, working through the EU AI Office together with national authorities in member states. At the same time, new transparency obligations will come into force for certain AI systems. Those rules require users to be clearly informed when they are interacting with artificial intelligence and whether content has been generated or modified by AI. Interactive systems such as chatbots must identify themselves as AI rather than human operators. Deepfake images, video and audio created or edited with AI must also be labeled, and AI-generated or AI-modified material will need machine-readable markers so it can be identified and traced. The Commission said the measures are designed to reduce deception and manipulation, help the public make more informed judgments, and give companies clearer compliance requirements and implementation paths. On the same day, it also released a list of more than 180 organizations that have signed the first version of the Code of Practice on Transparency for AI-Generated Content, which is intended to support implementation of the AI Act’s transparency provisions.