The European Commission has published guidelines to help providers and deployers of artificial intelligence systems meet the AI Act’s transparency obligations, which start to apply on 2 August 2026.
The transparency obligations are intended to help people recognise when they are interacting with AI, or when content has been generated or altered by AI, reducing the risk of deception and manipulation. The guidelines clarify which providers and deployers must comply with the transparency obligations for interactive AI systems and for the marking and labelling of AI-generated content.
AI Act transparency obligations
Under the AI Act, AI providers will have to design AI systems so that users are informed when they are directly interacting with AI. Providers will also have to add machine-readable marks to enable the detection of AI-generated or manipulated content.
Deployers will also have to inform users when they are exposed to deepfakes; AI-generated content on matters of public interest that has not been subject to human review or editorial control; and emotion recognition or biometric categorisation systems.
The guidelines explain certain concepts and provide exemptions and examples. These include what constitutes a directly interactive AI system, such as a chatbot; synthetic content, including partially or fully AI-generated text; deepfakes; and AI-generated text on matters of public interest. They also give examples of relevant exceptions, such as standard editing, including spelling and grammar correction.
The guidelines also explain how compliance with the AI Act’s transparency obligations may be demonstrated, including through adherence to a code of practice, which provides legal certainty and a simple, practical way to demonstrate compliance.
The Commission’s guidelines on the AI Act’s transparency obligations complement the Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-generated Content. The Commission and the AI Board have confirmed that the Code is an adequate, voluntary means for providers and deployers of AI to demonstrate compliance with the AI Act.
To help organisations better understand their AI Act obligations, the Commission is putting in place a range of tools, including guidelines, the Code of Practice and the AI Act Service Desk, which it says will be an accessible, up-to-date information hub offering clear guidance on the AI Act.
Next steps
On 2 August 2026, most of the rules in the AI Act will start to apply, including the Commission’s enforcement powers and national market surveillance authorities’ powers.
