The European Commission has launched a consultation on draft guidelines clarifying new transparency obligations under the EU AI Act, ahead of rules that will take effect on 2 August 2026.

Under the upcoming requirements, people in the European Union must be informed when they are interacting with artificial intelligence systems or when they are exposed to certain AI-generated or manipulated content.

The draft guidelines, now open for stakeholder feedback, aim to clarify how these obligations should be applied in practice. The Commission says they are intended to help AI providers and deployers comply with the new legal framework.

New transparency requirements under the AI Act

Once the rules apply, AI providers will be required to clearly inform users when they are interacting with an AI system. They will also need to include machine-readable labels or markers that allow detection of AI-generated or manipulated content.

In addition, companies and other deployers of AI systems will have to notify users when they are exposed to deepfakes, AI-generated content on matters of public interest, or systems used for emotion recognition or biometric categorisation.

Guidance and industry input

The draft guidelines incorporate feedback from earlier consultations and are designed to define the scope of the transparency obligations more clearly. A separate code of practice, currently being developed by independent experts, is expected in June 2026. This code will serve as a voluntary tool to help organisations demonstrate compliance.

Stakeholders including AI developers, businesses, public authorities, researchers, academic institutions and citizens are invited to submit feedback until 3 June 2026.

The European Commission said the initiative is part of broader efforts to ensure transparency, trust and accountability in the use of artificial intelligence across the EU.