As of August 2, 2026, the transparency requirements set forth in the AI Act have taken effect in the European Union. From now on, certain content generated or significantly altered by AI must be clearly identified to avoid any confusion with authentic content.
This requirement primarily applies to realistic images, videos, audio, or text that could mislead the public, particularly deepfakes. The goal is to enable everyone to distinguish real content from AI-generated content.
What’s Changing for Visual Content
However, creators of visual content can rest assured. Illustrations, sketches, comics, infographics, or other creations with a clearly identifiable artistic nature are generally not subject to the strictest requirements, whether they are created entirely by hand or with the help of AI. AI can therefore continue to be used as a true creative assistant, as long as its use is not intended to produce content that is deceptive or likely to mislead the public.
To support this development, the European Commission is also providing a set of icons to indicate that content has been generated or modified using AI. While their use is optional, they offer a simple way to enhance transparency for the public.
The Dawn of a New Era
This new regulation may mark the dawn of a new era. In a world where AI-generated content is becoming ubiquitous, transparency could quickly become a true sign of trust and professionalism.
At the same time, several initiatives aim to indicate that content is created entirely by humans. Furthermore, Miquel Molina, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Spanish daily La Vanguardia, argues in a recent article for a “Premium” status for all 100% human-created content as opposed to AI-generated content—and for this distinction to be reflected in the pricing of such content.
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