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EU publishes Code of Practice
AI-generated content must now be labeled.
What Compliance Teams Need to Know Now
European Commission Publishes Code of Practice on Labeling AI-Generated Content
On June 10, 2026, the European Commission published their Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content. The voluntary code specifies the transparency obligations under Article 50 of the EU AI Act, which becomes binding on August 2, 2026. For providers and deployers of generative AI systems, it makes tangible what the legislator expects.
What applies starting August 2026
As of August 2026, clear labeling obligations take effect. Deepfakes as well as AI-generated or AI-manipulated text on matters of public interest must be clearly labeled. Users must also be able to recognize when they are interacting with an interactive AI system such as a chatbot. The regulation aims to prevent deception and manipulation and to strengthen trust in the information ecosystem.
The obligations under Article 50 apply regardless of whether a company signs the code or not.
The code was drawn up by independent experts with input from more than 180 stakeholders and is divided into two sections. Section 1 addresses providers of generative AI systems: it describes how AI-generated audio, image, video, and text content is marked in a machine-readable format and made detectable as artificially generated. Section 2 addresses deployers. It governs the labeling of deepfakes and of AI-generated text published without human review and editorial responsibility. In addition, the EU provides a set of standardized icons that deployers can use to label their AI-generated content.
As of August 2026, clear labeling obligations take effect. Deepfakes as well as AI-generated or AI-manipulated text on matters of public interest must be clearly labeled. Users must also be able to recognize when they are interacting with an interactive AI system such as a chatbot. The regulation aims to prevent deception and manipulation and to strengthen trust in the information ecosystem.
The obligations under Article 50 apply regardless of whether a company signs the code or not.
The code was drawn up by independent experts with input from more than 180 stakeholders and is divided into two sections. Section 1 addresses providers of generative AI systems: it describes how AI-generated audio, image, video, and text content is marked in a machine-readable format and made detectable as artificially generated. Section 2 addresses deployers. It governs the labeling of deepfakes and of AI-generated text published without human review and editorial responsibility. In addition, the EU provides a set of standardized icons that deployers can use to label their AI-generated content.
Advantages for signatories
The code is voluntary but offers clear advantages. Following a positive adequacy assessment by the Commission and the AI Board, signatories can rely on the code to demonstrate compliance with their obligations, EU-wide and independent of the competent market surveillance authority. This creates legal certainty, reduces the administrative burden, and makes supervision predictable. For signatories, authorities focus on adherence to the code.
Non-signatories remain obligated to demonstrate their compliance on their own. This may involve a gap analysis against the measures of the code and is likely to come with significantly more information requests from the authorities.
Keep the deadline in mind
Companies that want to appear on the first public list of signatories must submit the form to the European Commission by July 22, 2026. Signing remains possible after that date, but the list of initial signatories will be published before the rules start to apply on August 2. Complementary Commission guidelines on the scope of the transparency obligations have been announced.
Compliance professionals should clarify now which AI systems in their organization fall under Article 50 and set up the labeling processes.
Our AI Compliance Solution helps you classify risks under the EU AI Act and document evidence in an audit-proof manner.