TL;DR

The European Commission has published the first draft of its Code of Practice for marking and labelling AI-generated content under Article 50 of the AI Act. The draft covers machine-readable marking requirements for AI providers and labelling obligations for deepfakes. Final rules will apply from 2 August 2026.

Two-Section Framework

The draft Code of Practice addresses AI content transparency through two distinct sections. The first covers rules for marking and detecting AI content, applicable to providers of generative AI systems. The second section covers labelling requirements for deepfakes and certain AI-generated or manipulated text on matters of public interest, applicable to deployers of generative AI systems.

Article 50 of the AI Act requires providers to mark AI-generated or manipulated content in machine-readable format. Professional users deploying generative AI systems must clearly label deepfakes and AI-text publications concerning matters of public interest.

Timeline for Implementation

The Commission is collecting feedback on the first draft until 23 January 2026. A second draft will follow by mid-March 2026, with the Code expected to be finalised by June.

The transparency rules covering AI-generated content will become mandatory on 2 August 2026, giving businesses approximately 18 months to prepare compliance frameworks.

Looking Forward

For UK businesses operating in EU markets or serving EU customers, this Code signals the growing regulatory expectation around AI content transparency. Organisations using generative AI for professional content creation should begin assessing their content marking and labelling capabilities now.

The voluntary Code of Practice, developed by independent experts, provides a framework for meeting these requirements ahead of the mandatory compliance deadline.