AI News reported on June 16, 2026 that the European Union published a voluntary Code of Practice to help companies meet AI content labelling transparency rules that become law under Article 50 of the EU AI Act from August 2, 2026.

What AI News says the Commission released

  • The European Commission released the final Code on June 10, 2026.
  • The Code is optional to sign, but the obligations it points to are not—they apply whether or not a company signs.
  • From August 2, two categories must be clearly flagged:
    • Deepfakes and AI-generated or AI-manipulated text published on matters of public interest must carry a label.
    • Anyone chatting with an interactive AI system (such as a customer-service bot) must be told they are dealing with a machine.

Provider versus deployer duties in the piece

  • Providers building generative models are asked to mark output in a machine-readable format so it can be detected downstream.
  • Deployers putting AI into real products handle visible labelling when public-interest AI text goes out without human review or editorial control.
  • The Code leans on open technical standards and a common EU icon for a consistent user cue.

Quotes and process notes AI News highlights

  • Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, is quoted: Europeans have a right to know whether what they see, hear or read has been made or altered by AI, especially when content can shape public debate.
  • The Code was drawn up by six independent experts with input from more than 180 stakeholders—described as the first instrument tackling AI content labelling under the Act.
  • AI News notes the Code is open for signatures, still needs Commission and AI Board adequacy judgment, and separate Commission guidelines are due for gaps the Code leaves out.

Timing caveats

  • Companies serving European users have under two months to work out what to label and how, and to decide whether to sign.
  • AI News cautions that plenty of harder detail still rests on guidelines the Commission has yet to publish.

Primary source: AI News — EU publishes its AI content labelling playbook ahead of the AI Act's August deadline (June 16, 2026).