EU rules aim to make AI easier to recognize

Since August 2, 2026, new transparency rules for artificial intelligence have applied across the European Union. They are part of the AI Act, an EU law that entered into force on August 1, 2024, and is being introduced in stages. The idea is that people should be able to recognize when they are communicating with an AI system or looking at content created or changed by AI.

Shortly before the rules started to apply, on July 20, 2026, the European Commission published guidelines explaining what they mean in practice. According to the Commission, the rules are meant to reduce the risk of people being deceived or manipulated. The guidelines themselves are not law: the document states that it is non-binding. It adds that only the Court of Justice of the European Union can give the final interpretation of the AI Act.